


The Virtue of Broken Things

by IonaWestray



Series: Gargoyles: Ramble On [2]
Category: Gargoyles (Cartoon)
Genre: Alcohol, Blood and Injury, Childbirth, Explicit Language, F/M, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Sex, Murder, Panic Attacks, Pregnancy, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:28:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 55,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25017007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IonaWestray/pseuds/IonaWestray
Summary: As the relationship between Goliath and Elisa grows, a dangerous case threatens to destroy what they have worked so hard for.This story expands on the Gargoyles: Clan Building comics and goes past issue #12 "Phoenix".(Previously titled "Gargoyles: Ramble On", I figured that was a better title for the series than for an individual story.)
Relationships: Goliath/Elisa Maza
Series: Gargoyles: Ramble On [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901287
Comments: 102
Kudos: 101





	1. Mothers and Daughters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place after issue #5 "Bash." After Goliath was stabbed by Thailog and nearly died, Elisa is left to deal with the emotional fallout of that night.

**November 1, 1996  
Early Morning  
Elisa's Loft**

Elisa dragged her bloody and bruised body home, but she wasn't sure how.

She remembered getting behind the wheel of her car, but she did not recall the entire drive over to her apartment, and that terrified her. She could have hurt herself or, even worse, someone else in her exhausted state.

She tried to hang up her jacket on the coat rack by the door, and after three tries, it finally made it on the hook. She looked down at her hands. Her body. She had tried to scrub Goliath's blood off of her earlier, but she had done a hasty job, and some of it had seeped into her joints, the cracks and folds of her skin, and her clothing where it had dried. She started to shake and she fell to her knees. Her heart was starting to race, and she was finding it harder to catch her breath.

She tried to stand up, but it felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest. Her heart was pounding so hard now that she could actually hear it, and there was a rushing in her ears like she had stuck her head in a river, like when she had been knocked off that dam, just a few days ago. She remembered the impact of hitting the water. The cold. Being unable to reach the surface for air.

Her chest felt tight.

She couldn't breathe.

She panicked for a moment before she remembered she was not underwater but safe in her home, and she forced herself to take a ragged, gasping breath of air.

She had survived, but she almost lost Goliath tonight.

 _He almost died_.

_He almost died._

_He almost died._

_Oh God!_

Goliath had lost so much blood. Even with Dr. Sato there to help, it had been touch-and-go. He'd eventually lost consciousness, and by dawn, his pulse had grown so thready and weak that both the doctor and Elisa were unsure whether or not he would make it. She had sat by him all night, holding his hand, pleading with him over and over to stay with her, to not leave her.

She had never felt more relieved to see him turn to stone.

When she had broken up with him, she thought he would still be in her life as a friend, but the thought of him not being in her life at all…

She started to hyperventilate at the thought, and a ragged sob escaped her lips. She managed to get a few more shuddering breaths in and crawled over to the phone and dialed a number, hoping it wasn't too early.

"Hello?" her mother's voice said sleepily.

Tears flowed from Elisa's eyes, and she couldn't speak for a moment. She kept so much about her life away from her parents, from her mother especially, but right now the sound of her mother's voice threw her back to being a child who had fallen down and scraped her knee, and she wanted nothing more than to be soothed and comforted by her.

"Hello?" Diane asked again. "Who is this?"

"Mom?" Elisa whimpered into the phone, her voice breaking.

"Elisa, honey, is that you?" her mom replied instantly alert and concerned.

"Yeah, it's me," Elisa sobbed.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" Diane demanded, her voice rising with panic. She heard her father say something sleepily in the background. She could picture her mother sitting up in bed, her silk headscarf on, clutching her nightgown to her breast.

"I don't even know where to begin. Everything is just such a mess right now!" Elisa managed to say. She hiccuped into the phone as huge wracking sobs shook her.

"Hold tight, honey. I'm comin' over."

Elisa didn't even have the breath to protest. She ended the call and dropped the phone before she curled up into a ball on the floor.

* * *

Her mother found her like that, covered in blood and lying in a fetal position on the floor. She screamed, and picked up the phone to dial 911.

"It's not my blood, Mom," Elisa protested weakly.

"Good lord, Elisa! Whose blood is it then?! What on earth happened?!"

"He almost died," Elisa whimpered. "Oh, God, I broke his heart, and then he almost died!"

Elisa was starting to hyperventilate again.

Diane held her in her arms as she started to cry hysterically, and she stroked her hair as Elisa got her breathing under control. After a while she started to calm down, and her mother helped her to her feet.

"We should get you cleaned up," she said as she led her to her bathroom.

She got the shower running and offered to help, but Elisa insisted she would be ok, and while she got herself cleaned up, Diane made tea.

Elisa washed away Goliath's blood, and she scrubbed herself until she was nearly raw, but she felt much improved once she was clean and sitting in her white fluffy robe sipping chamomile tea.

"So, what happened last night?" Diane asked gently.

Elisa told her about the Halloween party, how Thailog had stabbed Goliath and nearly killed him, and then as if someone were taking a sledgehammer to her psyche, cracks formed and then the whole thing came tumbling down, and she unleashed a slew of struggles and events that had occurred recently in her life, starting with what happened with the Hunters.

"You fell off a dam?!" Diane shrieked.

"This is why I don't tell you these things, Mom, because I know you don't like it when I put myself in danger."

"Of course I don't!" Diane said angrily, almost hysterically. "You're my child! I gave birth to you! I spent years of my life actively keeping you alive, and now you're throwing yourself off of _dams_?!"

"I was knocked off."

"Whatever!" Diane said throwing up her hands.

"I can't just stand by and do nothing when my friends are in danger, Mom!" Elisa said defensively.

Diane sighed heavily.

"Well…obviously you survived," she acquiesced begrudgingly. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"No, but I'm fine."

"God, you're just like your father," Diane mumbled as she sipped her tea.

Elisa shrugged one shoulder, a gesture her father often made as well, and it almost made Diane smile if it didn't also infuriate her.

"So, what happened after that?" she prodded.

Elisa explained the rest of the events. Her parents, along with every other New Yorker, were aware of the 23rd precinct bombing and the fight at the cathedral, but no one knew the whole truth. So, she explained about Demona, the virus, and Goliath putting himself and the rest of the gargoyle race in harm's way in order to protect all of humanity.

"Lord in Heaven," Diane muttered. "To think we all came so close...Thank God for Goliath's quick thinking. He's a very brave soul."

"Yeah…he's pretty incredible," Elisa said quietly.

Diane observed her warily as a strong sense of foreboding fell upon her. For a moment she debated not saying anything. If she didn't, they could keep on pretending that everything was normal…or at least as normal as things ever got for Elisa, but she couldn't leave it alone. She was her daughter, after all.

"When we were in Africa…I sensed a very strong bond between you and Goliath. Your father expressed as much after spending time with you in Arizona…" She put her hand over Elisa's. "You're in love with him. Aren't you."

Elisa met her mother's gaze. She had the most beautiful gray eyes that conveyed her mood. They were soft and serene when happy, but as dangerous as a thunderstorm when provoked. Right now, they were the color of an overcast sea and just as sorrowful. She looked away, unable to meet her mother's gaze anymore, and she nodded.

The cat was out of the bag now.

Diane sighed heavily.

"Does he know?" she asked gently.

Elisa nodded again.

"After everything that happened with the Hunters, I finally told him how I felt…and I kissed him," Elisa admitted.

Diane released a long slow breath.

"And he loves you, that much is obvious," Diane responded, her tone bittersweet. "But what did you mean earlier when you said you had broken his heart?"

"When did I say that?" Elisa asked confused.

"When I first got here. You said you almost lost him and that you had broken his heart. I wasn't sure who you were talking about at the time, but you were talking about Goliath, weren't you?"

"I…I broke up with him…earlier tonight. I had…doubts. I thought we couldn't make it work because being with him would require sacrifices I didn't think I could make."

"Like having a family of your own?" Diane said gently.

"Yeah, among other things, but that was a big one."

"What about Goliath? How did he take it?"

"Not well. I hurt him pretty deeply."

"I'm sure he would understand eventually, honey, all things considered."

Elisa shook her head emphatically.

"Love for him is…well, it's all or nothing. When Goliath's relationship with Demona ended, it was hard on him. Really hard. It doesn't matter that ending it was valid and warranted, gargoyles don't divorce. It's not really a concept to them. They mate for life, and even if their mate dies…that's it, they usually don't take another one. So even after everything he had been through, Goliath fell in love again…with me. A human. It's not just unheard of, it's a god damn miracle!"

"So, what does that mean for you now?" Diane asked warily.

"It means, that when I thought I was watching him die, I realized that everything else, marriage, a house in the 'burbs, and kids…none of that matters if it means I have to live my life without him. I love him, Mom. I love him more than anything."

Diane gripped Elisa's hands tightly as if to drive her point home and looked her directly in the eye.

"But is love enough?" she asked.

"He's the world to me," Elisa said with quiet certainty. "It'll have to be."

But Diane soldiered on.

"What kind of life can you even hope to have together? You would have to keep your relationship with him secret, and what about—" Diane lowered her voice to a near whisper. "intimacy? My word, I don't know how it would even be possible!"

Elisa blushed. She had thought about it. A lot. But she really did not want to talk about it with her mother.

"I don't know," she said dismissively. "But I trust Goliath with my life, Mom. He would never hurt me."

Diane sighed and then laughed lightly.

"I knew it would take a rare man indeed to make you want to settle down. Never would have guessed he wouldn't actually be a man."

Elisa laughed, and Diane reached out and cupped her daughter's cheek tenderly.

"You've always marched to the beat of your own drum, and I realize you have to live your life the way you see fit. My hope is that you do not come to regret the sacrifices a relationship with Goliath will require and come to resent him for it, but so long as you are happy, then I will try to be happy for you."

Elisa wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Thanks, Mom," she said.

"I love you, Elisa. Nothing will ever change that."

"I love you, too."

They held each other for a while. Diane reveled in the fact that her daughter confided in her for once, and Elisa was just relieved that revealing her relationship to her mother had not caused the woman to have a heart attack.

"This isn't something I can keep from your father, you know. I _shouldn't_ keep it from him. You need to tell him, too, and the sooner the better," Diane said eventually.

Elisa cringed.

"You wouldn't want to do it for me, would you?" she said hopefully.

"Not on your life," Diane scoffed.

"Damn."


	2. Revelations

**November 1, 1996  
2:30 p.m.**

Elisa had tried to get some sleep after her mother's visit, but despite her exhaustion, she couldn't sleep long that day. Her sleep had been plagued by nightmares, and after a couple of hours of rough sleep, she decided to get up and go check on Derek and Maggie. She needed to make sure they were both alright after what had happened the night before.

Al greeted her politely when she arrived at the entrance to the Labyrinth. He showed her through and took her back towards Derek and Maggie's residence. As they walked deeper into the Labyrinth, they passed the clones, and Elisa had to consciously keep her face neutral at the sight of them. When they were in their stone forms, they were almost indistinguishable from their genetic sources, but she still knew who and what they were, and it creeped her out. None more so than Delilah whom she also couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt towards. Goliath had only taken her to the Halloween party because of her urging, despite the fact that he truly wasn't interested in her. There were a lot of things Elisa regretted recently, and using Delilah was definitely one of them.

When they got to Talon and Maggie's quarters, Al took his leave of her, and Elisa knocked politely at their door.

"Elisa?" Talon said when he quietly opened the door and stuck his head out. Elisa could see far enough into the room to see that Maggie was tucked into bed, resting peacefully.

"How are you guys?" Elisa asked quietly so as not to disturb her.

Derek looked back at his girlfriend, then he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"We're fine. Maggie's a little banged up, but she's alright…I think," Talon hedged. Elisa's instincts picked up on his tone, and warning bells started ringing. Her brother was hiding something.

"Are you sure she's ok?" she prodded.

Talon sighed.

"Yes…no…" he growled with frustration. He looked at Elisa, took a deep breath and released it.

"Maggie's pregnant."

"WHAT?!" Elisa shouted.

"Hey, keep it down!" Talon hissed, his ears laying back like Cagney's did when he was upset.

"Are you sure?" Elisa said amazed, though there were several complicated emotions that accompanied the discovery that her mutated brother was going to be a father: jealousy, anger, horror, joy…it was a mixed bag.

"She was feeling nauseated and tired all the time, so she took a pregnancy test as a joke…but it came back positive."

Elisa didn't even know what to say, so she just stared in mute silence.

"We honestly didn't think we could get pregnant, Elisa. Maggie complained that her, uh, monthly cycles came very irregularly since the metamorphosis, so we didn't bother with protection—"

"God damn it, Derek!" Elisa cursed as she whacked her brother on the arm. "You're smart enough to know not to make assumptions."

"Our DNA was mutated! How were we supposed to know we could still get knocked up?!" Talon yelled back.

Elisa ran a hand across her brow.

"Are you guys planning to…go through with the pregnancy?"

"Of course we are!" Talon growled.

Elisa held up her hands defensively.

"Hey, I'm not judging one way or another, I'm just wondering what the plan is. So, right now, Maggie is a little banged up from Thailog's little party, but she's not sure about the baby?"

Talon sighed and rubbed his furry muzzle tiredly. He nodded.

"I'm definitely not an expert on these things, but I think as long as she doesn't start bleeding, she's probably ok," Elisa said trying to sound reassuring.

"When we first found out…I was worried, but now...I'm fucking terrified, Elisa. I'm so scared for Maggie and the baby," he said, his fear apparent in his voice.

Elisa put her hand on her brother's arm.

"Hey, we'll get through this, Derek. Whatever happens…you know I'm here for you right?"

"Yeah, I know," Talon replied and he put his hand over his big sister's and held it tightly.

**November 1, 1996  
4:50 p.m.**  
**Castle Wyvern Infirmary**

Goliath awoke with a muted roar.

He felt like hell.

Weak.

Tired.

He even had a bit of a headache.

"Hey," a familiar mellifluous voice said.

He opened his eyes to see Elisa's lovely face. She took one of his hands in both of hers.

"How do you feel?" she asked, her expression concerned.

"To use a modern colloquialism, like I have been hit by a bus," Goliath grumbled.

Elisa laughed her lovely throaty laugh, and it made him smile softly.

"Well, at least your cognitive functions seem to be fine," she said, smiling fondly back at him.

Goliath took in the room and noticed Dr. Sato who was standing several feet back and looking immensely startled.

"Dr. Sato…" Goliath said. "I believe I owe you my life."

Elisa looked back at the doctor as if she had just remembered he was there.

The world class doctor just stared dumb-struck.

"Doctor?" Goliath prodded gently.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…sorry. I've never seen a statue come to life before," he said and laughed nervously. "I was warned, but…it's still incredible. A few moments ago, you were stone, completely solid, no heartbeat, no brain function…and now…here you are. Flesh and blood."

Goliath sat up on the infirmary's medical grade hospital bed and winced as he used his abdominal muscles to do so. He applied positive pressure to his midsection to ease some of the discomfort where it was still a bit tender. Then he removed the bandages tied around his waist to reveal nearly unmarred flesh, save for a faint line, where once he had been mortally wounded.

"Anyway, I, uh, came to check up on my patient," Dr. Sato said cheerfully, quickly rallying to the weirdness that was his life now. "Would you mind if I examined you?"

"Not at all," Goliath replied congenially.

Elisa stood by quietly, allowing the doctor to do his work, but she remained there as a reassuring presence for both of them.

The doctor put on his stethoscope and listened to Goliath's heart and lungs and checked him over thoroughly.

"Your blood pressure is higher today than it was yesterday. I would say better, but I'm not sure what is normal for you," Dr. Sato mused as he removed the blood pressure cuff from Goliath's arm.

"You would know better than I, I am afraid. We know very little about the biology of our own species," Goliath said offhandedly as he lightly shook out his left arm to rid himself of the lingering prickling sensation at the tips of his fingers.

"Do you have any pain, weakness, or shortness of breath?"

"No, the sight of the wound is still slightly tender, and I feel tired, but that's normal after an injury such as this."

"You lost quite a lot of blood, Goliath, so I'm not surprised you feel tired today. Have you had serious life-threatening injuries like this before?"

"A few."

Dr. Sato raised his brows in alarm.

"Occupational hazard, I suppose," Goliath dead panned, and Elisa flashed a proud grin at him. Her sarcastic humor was starting to rub off on him.

"I'm going to physically examine the wound now, if that's alright?"

Goliath nodded.

"Could you lie back down for me, please?"

Goliath complied with a grunt of discomfort.

Dr. Sato gently palpated the faint line on Goliath's abdomen where he had been stabbed, and yet again, he was struck with an immense feeling of inadequacy. This being, this _gargoyle_ , was in absolute peak physical condition with strong, thick muscles and an extremely low body fat percentage. His muscles weren't just show, either, they possessed real, formidable strength.

"I don't feel any swelling, but you said it is tender?"

"Yes. The pain will likely be completely gone by tomorrow evening after another day of sleep."

Goliath winced as Dr. Sato palpated the wound again.

"I would like you to take it easy for at least a week. Just to be sure."

"I'm sure that would be—" Goliath began to protest, but then he caught Elisa's eye and the stern look she was giving him. "just fine," he amended.

"I'm not sure what your diet is, but I would recommend that you eat plenty of red meat and dark green vegetables to help your body replenish its red blood cells. Otherwise, you look fine, which is astonishing considering the injury you sustained."

"Our greatest benefit and our greatest weakness," Goliath stated. "Although our stone sleep heals us of many maladies and afflictions, it renders us completely vulnerable.

"It's fascinating really, truly a remarkable biological process. I would like to learn more about you and your kind, so I can be more help to you in the future." Dr. Sato offered brightly. "If that's alright?" His nervousness around the gargoyle was starting to wane and his natural curiosity was taking hold.

"We have had…unfortunate relationships with other scientists before," Goliath said skeptically. "But you do not strike me as the type who would be interested in studying us for your own personal gain."

"He could be an immense asset to you guys," Elisa agreed.

"Friend," Goliath corrected. "We have friends and allies. People are not assets. That's a view people such as Xanatos holds toward other beings."

Elisa and Dr. Sato both smiled at that.

"Friends. I'd like that," the doctor said.

"I am in your debt," Goliath said extending his hand out to him.

Dr. Sato smiled and shook his hand, despite the heavy menacing-looking talons that adorned the tips of his fingers.

"I was happy to help, but now I should get going. I need to make a few rounds and check on some patients at the hospital before I call it a day."

"Thank you again, Dr. Sato," Elisa said sincerely.

"Please. Call me Jay. After everything, I think we can drop the formalities," he said with a warm smile.

As the doctor collected his things, Goliath turned to Elisa.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" he asked quietly.

"I brought Dr. Sa—Jay—to the castle, so I should take him to the hospital. After that, I need to start my shift," Elisa said regretfully.

"Of course," Goliath replied understandingly, and then he looked at her, really looked at her for the first time that night. There were dark shadows under her normally bright eyes. Recent events had taken a toll on her, and he felt regret about all that she endured.

"Elisa…have you had any rest?" he asked. She did not have the benefit of enforced sleep like he did, after all, and he knew that in times of stress she tended to put herself and her needs last.

"Between the Hunters blowing up the clock tower, falling off a dam, getting attacked by the Quarrymen, and then Thailog kicking our asses, yeah, I've had loads of sleep," Elisa snapped.

Goliath flinched.

Elisa mentally kicked herself for lashing out. She was tired, and Goliath was only looking after her.

"I'm sorry. The last few days have been…a lot."

Goliath took her hands in his.

"I am sorry for my part in it," he said regretfully.

"I…I shouldn't complain. It's what I signed up for, right?" she said resigned.

"I don't think either of us 'signed up,' as you put it, for any of the events that have transpired lately, and you have every right to speak out about your dissatisfaction. Especially to me."

Elisa gave him a tired but grateful smile. She couldn't even begin to explain how much she loved him. How much she wanted and needed to be with him.

"I'm really glad you're ok," she said, unable to keep the emotion out of her voice or her bottom lip from trembling slightly.

Goliath tenderly brushed the back of his talons along her cheek.

"I am, too," he said with a tender smile.

They gazed at each other for several long moments before Elisa finally broke away.

"I should go," she said regretfully. "I have Monday night off, though. I can come by and we can talk about us then, ok?"

Goliath nodded solemnly and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Dr. Sato witnessed their close exchange like he had witnessed their kiss the night before. They were obviously very…close, and it was weird…but who was he to judge?

He and Elisa said their goodbyes to the gargoyle leader, and as they left, Goliath fervently wished it could be Monday already.

* * *

Elisa pulled up to the entrance of Manhattan General hospital. Dr. Sato got out of her car and turned to say farewell.

"Thanks again, Doc," Elisa said gratefully.

"I am just happy I could help," he replied warmly.

"Not everyone would be willing to if they had been in your position," Elisa pointed out.

"I made oaths that I take seriously, Elisa. Goliath was in need of help, and I'm glad I could. I don't care that he isn't human."

"All the same, thanks."

"You're welcome. Remember to change the bandages on that arm," he reminded her. Elisa lightly touched her arm where Thailog had attacked her. Dr. Sato had sutured it before she went home the morning after the attack, and it throbbed slightly with pain, but she'd hardly noticed it until he reminded her of it.

"Don't worry. I know how to properly take care of wounds at this point," she said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Dr. Sato sighed and shook his head as he chuckled. He waved goodbye and started to walk towards the hospital entrance when an idea struck Elisa.

"Hey, Jay!"

The doctor turned back to look at her.

"How would you feel about helping me to look in on some mutated humans who live in the sewers?"

Dr. Sato's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline.


	3. The Game Is Afoot

**November 2, 1996**   
**4:30 p.m.**   
**Labyrinth**

After Dr. Sato checked on Maggie and gave her a clean bill of health, aside from her risky and uncertain pregnancy, Elisa stuck around to speak with her brother and his girlfriend. She usually came down to talk to them about any needs they had like food, medical supplies, or any other potential problems they might have, but this time she stayed to talk to them about what they needed to get ready for the baby.

When she left to start her shift, she did not expect to run into someone she knew.

"Nita? Nita Vasquez? What are you doing here?"

"Officer Maza?" the woman said with surprised recognition and caution.

"Actually…it's detective now," Elisa corrected.

"Huh. Movin' up in the world, I see," Nita said a little bitterly.

Nita was an extremely petite woman with a fiery personality to make up for it. She only came up to Elisa's shoulder, who was far less vertically challenged. She had thick curly dark hair that floated and moved around her head like it had a life of its own, and paired with her wide eyes, high cheekbones, and full mouth, it gave her an almost angelic appearance.

She was young, only in her early twenties, and she was also hugely pregnant.

"I live down here now. It's safer than…" Nita trailed off. "Well, it's safer than a lot of places."

Her voice had a tinge of fear in it that set Elisa off.

"Are you hiding from someone?"

Nita laughed mockingly.

"I'm hidin' from everybody."

Nita was only a few years younger than Elisa herself, who was pushing thirty, but she'd lived several of her teen years and all of her adult life on the street. She had dropped out of high school and run away from a bad home life when she was 16, and when she was unable to provide for herself, she turned to prostitution to survive. Elisa had had a few run ins with her when she was a rookie cop, but she'd always been sympathetic to her plight and tried multiple times to help her. Nita struggled to keep any job Elisa helped her to find. Once managers found out about her background they'd fire her, or worse, they'd try to coerce her into giving them sexual favors in return for keeping her job. Either way, she'd wind up out on the street again.

"So, what are _you_ doin' down here?" Nita asked suspiciously.

"I know Talon. He's a…he's a friend. I come down here from time to time to check in and see if they need anything or if I can help out some other way."

"Uh huh," Nita said skeptically. "Lotta weird down here, ya know?"

"There's a lot of weird everywhere, Nita. So, what brought you down here?"

"A friend. When I found out I was pregnant, I needed a place away from, uh…off the street. She brought me here. If I had known a place like this existed before…maybe things wouldn't have gone so bad for me."

"The Labyrinth is a fairly new society. It's only been around for a year," Elisa said in a way to hopefully reassure her. "Have you been able to see a doctor?"

"Yeah, I go to a free clinic. I hear the boss lady, Maggie, is pregnant, too, and they're looking for a doctor or a midwife or something, so I'm hoping if they find one, they can help me, too."

"Possibly, listen, Nita, I've gotta go, but here's my number," Elisa said as she handed her a business card. "If you need anything please give me a call, ok?"

Nita took the card with Elisa's name, work number, and the NYPD seal on it, glanced at it briefly, and then tucked it casually into her pocket.

"Sure. Thanks,"

"I'm glad I bumped into you, Nita, I'm glad you're doing ok,"

"Yeah. Sure. You, too."

**November 2, 1996**   
**11:45 p.m.**   
**East side Docks**

The night had been relatively slow until they got a call about a body in the East River just before midnight.

Matt and Elisa peered down into the black body bag, careful not to lean over it. The corpse inside was bloated and gray from the cold water.

"What do you wanna bet this one was also a prostitute who OD'd?" Matt said.

"Starting to see a pattern here," Elisa said morosely.

Matt made a monosyllabic grunt of agreement.

Elisa put on a pair of examination gloves and pulled the bag open further. She lifted one of the dead woman's arms up and saw fresh track marks in the crook of her elbow.

"This is the third one in as many months," she said frustrated.

Elisa reverently put the woman's arm back down and zipped the bag up. Then she peeled off her gloves and bagged them.

"The Medical Examiner has listed all of their causes of death as ODs. Once, I get, but a third?" she said skeptically to her partner.

"We should have the M.E. look a little more closely at this one," Matt agreed.

"They don't want to dig deeper because no one cares about what happens to sex workers," Elisa said angrily. "No one cares about these women."

Matt put a hand on her shoulder

"We'll get to the bottom of this."

* * *

"Hey, Elisa…the light's green."

Matt's voice cut through the haze of Elisa's thoughts, and she immediately snapped out of it and started driving.

"Are you ok, partner? You seem…distracted," Matt said carefully.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine," Elisa replied. "Just thinking about the case."

To be fair, she _had_ been thinking about the woman they'd pulled out of the river, but then her thoughts had drifted to Goliath, as they always seemed to do lately.

"Sooo…are you and Goliath back together yet?" Matt asked.

Elisa nearly ran into the car in front of her because she was too busy staring in shock at her partner. She slammed on the breaks, forcing them both to brace themselves.

"Jesus! Next time I'll take a cab!" Matt said annoyed.

"Don't surprise me like that!" Elisa said equally annoyed. "I didn't know you knew we were together to begin with!"

"Everyone in the precinct has been talking about how Morgan met your ' _ex'_ at Xanatos's Halloween party. Some ridiculously huge guy in a gargoyle costume named, 'G,' was it?"

Elisa rubbed her forehead annoyed.

"How long were you going to keep it from me, Elisa?" Matt asked. He was trying to hide it, but his tone hinted that he was hurt by the fact that Elisa had never told him herself.

"Not long," Elisa confessed. She took a deep breath and released it. "It's not something anyone outside of the clan knows about. We'd only been together for a few days when I broke up with him before the Halloween party."

Matt grimaced.

"Tough break for Goliath. To be stabbed in the gut _and_ the heart in the same night…" Matt said incredulously.

"Yeah, it was…not a great night," Elisa said, her mouth suddenly went dry, and she paled at the memory of what happened.

As a cop, she had seen plenty of blood on the job, but it was different when it was coming out of someone she loved in copious life-threatening amounts. She had seen Goliath battered and bruised before, she'd patched up a number of his injuries in the past, but this had been far worse. His blood had been everywhere, all over the ground, all over her as she attempted to stop the bleeding. She could still smell it.

Needless to say, it was another Halloween costume she didn't get the rental deposit back on.

"When Goliath was bleeding out, we thought…we thought he could actually be dying…so he told me he loved me. It was the first time he'd ever said the actual words to me," Elisa admitted.

"Thank God he pulled through…but where does that leave you now?"

Elisa exhaled loudly.

"I'm not sure. I told him I loved him, too, but we haven't had a chance to talk about it yet. All I know is that whatever we have to do to make it work, I'll do it. We got lucky this time, but…next time? I don't want to waste any more time than we have already."

Matt looked thoughtfully out the window for a moment, and then he said, "I get it. It's weird…but I get it, Elisa."

They were both silent the rest of the way back to the precinct building. Elisa pulled into the parking lot and parked her car and turned off the engine, but neither of them got out.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Elisa apologized. "I was worried about how you would react."

"Elisa, I know I flew off the handle when I first found out about the gargoyles, but since then you have told me about mad scientists, aliens, sorcery, and ghosts, and I didn't bat an eye. Why did you think I would have a problem with this?" Matt said pointing out the absurdity of her statement.

"Because knowing about gargoyles and then finding out your partner is romantically involved with one is another matter entirely. I was afraid that you would…think less of me,"

"I could never think less of you, Elisa," Matt said sincerely. "You're the best partner I've ever had."

"Ditto," Elisa said and smiled warmly at him. When she had first been assigned a partner, she thought it would be the worst thing to happen to her career and her ability to keep the gargoyles' secret; he had proved to be quite the opposite.

"I'm the _only_ partner you've ever had," Matt pointed out. "Aside from Jason, that is, but I don't think he really counts."

"Guess you're lucky I don't really know any different, then," Elisa teased before she stepped out of her car.

Matt followed her, and then they both started walking in step past construction signs and heavy equipment before they entered the precinct.

"So…are _you_ seeing anyone?" Elisa inquired breaking the silence.

Matt snorted.

"Hard to find the time and even harder to find someone who would be capable of dealing with the kind of shit we tend to deal with, you know?"

"Boy, do I ever," Elisa mused. "I had to resort to looking outside our species."

Matt laughed.

"So, you really made Goliath go on a date with your clone?" he said incredulously.

"Yeah," Elisa said ashamed.

"That's fucked up, Elisa," Matt said incredulously.

"I know! The whole thing was so fucked up," Elisa groaned, and Matt laughed gently at her expense.

Another moment of silence lapsed between them before Matt spoke again.

"Sooo…does this mean that Delilah's available?"

Elisa smacked him on the arm.

"Ow! I'm kidding!"


	4. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goliath and Elisa finally have "the talk." Some of the conversation was taken from issue #7 "The Rock" but I have expanded on it considerably.

**November 4, 1996  
9:20 p.m.  
Castle Wyvern**

Goliath waited pensively on his tower. Elisa had said she would be by tonight, but he had not seen her yet. He had first gone to the library to try to read while he awaited her arrival, but whenever he tried to concentrate on the words on the page, his mind would start to drift to Elisa, and he eventually gave up and went up to his tower where he now waited impatiently for her.

Things between them were unsettled, and it left him feeling anxious. He knew she could be a little impulsive, and although she had kissed him and told him she loved him, they had not spoken of the status of their relationship yet, and he feared she had reacted rashly due to the emotional events on Halloween much like she had after the events with the Hunters. He worried that after a couple days of distance, she was going to regret her decision again. He ground his teeth, the muscles of his jaw straining. He couldn't take the anticipation much longer.

He heard footsteps on the stone steps inside the tower, and he turned to see Elisa emerge from the stairwell. His heart raced with excitement and apprehension. The last time they had a conversation up here, it had not ended well. He hoped it would not hold true tonight.

"Good evening, Elisa," Goliath said gently. He smiled at her, but it was strained. She noticed the tightness at the corners of his eyes and felt sorry for leaving him hanging for so long.

"Hi," she said simply as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The wind tossed her hair about lightly. The smile on her face was warm, and she looked refreshed and less tired than he had seen her in a while. He wanted to take her in his arms, to hold her and run his hands through her hair, but he held himself back. He wanted to hold her to her words of love, but he knew he would hate himself for forcing her into a life she did not actually want. If he loved her, truly loved her, he needed to let her go…but it felt like Thailog was stabbing him in the gut all over again to think about it.

"Sorry I'm late. I meant to be here hours ago, but Derek had news he wanted to tell my parents tonight, and I felt I should be there for support," Elisa explained.

"Is everything alright?" Goliath asked concerned.

"Kind of, uh…Maggie's pregnant."

"What?" Goliath said astonished by the news.

"I can hardly believe it myself. My parents were shocked to say the least, but then they realized they'd be grandparents, so…I think they're at least a little excited." Elisa said.

A quiet moment passed between them as they left the obvious unsaid.

If Elisa was with him, she wouldn't be the one to give them grandchildren.

"I am not sure what the correct sentiment is at a time like this, but I suppose a new life is always cause for celebration," Goliath said eventually, once he had overcome his shock.

"I'm going to be an aunt…it's surreal but exciting," Elisa replied. "I can't wait to spoil them rotten, like feed them junk food and then send them home to their parents hopped up on sugar."

Goliath smiled affectionately at her.

"I am sure you will excel at being an aunt," Goliath said.

"Derek may have a different opinion about that," Elisa laughed.

"Perhaps," Goliath said smiling.

"But how are you feeling?" Elisa asked him, her tone going from joking to serious. She took a seat fearlessly on the ledge of the tower. With Goliath around she knew she'd be safe.

"Well enough. I have completely recovered," he replied as he reflexively touched the area of his stomach where he had been stabbed. There was no longer any pain or discomfort, but a faint scar remained. "Though I am trying to obey Dr. Sato's orders, as much as it annoys me."

"Good," Elisa replied with a smile. "How are things here?"

"Busy. Lexington and Hudson are currently in London and we are a little shorthanded with patrols, especially with me confined to the castle," Goliath said, the frustration he felt clear in his tone.

"Why are Hudson and Lexington in London?" Elisa asked confused.

"The Stone of Destiny is being transferred from London to Edinburgh, and Macbeth requested our aid in ensuring it arrives safely," Goliath said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Macbeth?!" Elisa said dubiously.

Goliath nodded.

"I'm surprised he's not trying to steal it for himself," Elisa sneered.

"According to him, he already tried that once a few decades ago, but he wound up returning it instead."

"Wait…I think I recall reading or hearing about that somewhere…a group of Scotsmen attempted to steal the stone sometime back in the 50s, I think, and if I'm not mistaken…they accidentally broke it," Elisa said slightly amazed. "How long will they be gone?"

"A few weeks, until they are sure the stone is sufficiently safe."

"It would be nice if they could visit the London clan while they're there."

"Aye," Goliath agreed. "Any chance to further strengthen the ties between our clans is welcome."

Their conversation lulled and the quiet caused Goliath's heart to start racing again. They were both avoiding the reason they were here tonight. He had faced Oberon himself before and hadn't felt this nervous, but he gathered his courage and addressed the elephant in the room.

"Elisa…about Halloween…"

Elisa looked up at him demurely, her face was unreadable, and it made him even more nervous. He didn't know if she wanted him or if she wanted to be let go. He didn't want to have this conversation, he didn't want to give her an out. He wanted to pull her to himself and wrap his arms and wings around her and never let her go, but he had to be sure. He pulled himself together and forced the words out.

"I will not hold you to words spoken when you believed my life hung in the balance."

Elisa felt a jolt at his words, and her heart shattered and swelled for him at the same time. Did he really think she was going to break up with him again? He was offering her a way out despite the fact that it clearly pained him…but she didn't want out.

She wanted him.

She loved him.

God, how she loved him.

"Even if I want to be held?" she said as she slid off the ledge and walked towards him. Goliath felt his heart fill with hope, but he wasn't sure if her question was a hypothetical one or not. He walked towards her, meeting her halfway across the tower. He reached out and put a hand under her chin, gently tipping her face up to look at him.

"I know you care for me. That is not at issue," he said quietly. "But what of the things I cannot give you…picnics…normalcy?" He left the subject of children unsaid. He wanted her to be sure, he _needed_ her to be sure of her choice, but he did not need to rub salt in the wound. She knew well enough what she would be giving up.

Elisa looked up into his eyes. His beautiful, inhuman, soulful eyes. Eyes that held so much love when he looked at her. She felt an intense, nearly overwhelming surge of love for him as she gazed into his familiar face. A face that would be fearsome and alien to anyone else, but to her, it was the most handsome face in the world.

"We can have a picnic anytime…" she said as she reached out and took a lock of his hair and ran her fingers through it, knowing full well what the gesture meant to him. "And normalcy's so over-rated."

The look on Goliath's face was a dazzling mix of hope and elation. He swept her up in his arms and kissed her jubilantly. Elisa was pleasantly shocked that _he_ had kissed her this time, and she hardly had a chance to kiss him back before he set her back down on her feet.

"It's not going to be easy," she said. "Us, I mean."

"I would imagine not, but nothing worth having ever is," Goliath said sagely. His hands were on her waist, lightly holding her, reluctant to let her go as if she would disappear if he did.

"There's…something else I want to talk to you about," Elisa said a little hesitantly.

Goliath tilted his head to the side, assuming an attentive stance.

"You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?"

"I do," Elisa said affectionately. "First, I need you to know that I will not be able to come visit you and the clan at the castle very often."

Goliath looked both confused and concerned.

"Have we done something to offend?"

"No! No! Not at all! I still want to see you, God, I miss being able to just pop in to visit anytime I want, like I could when you lived in the clocktower, but I can't be seen at the home of two convicted felons, especially when I am the reason one of them served time in prison."

"I suppose that would be considered…highly inappropriate," Goliath admitted as he stroked his chin in thought.

"I wish things could be different."

"I know. I do as well, but I understand, Elisa."

"My window is always open to you and the clan, though. You can come by anytime."

Goliath smiled affectionately at her and nodded.

"The other thing I wanted to let you know about is…" she thought about not telling him, it embarrassed her, but if she was going to share her life with Goliath, she needed to be open and vulnerable with him. Two things she wasn't very good at and terrified her to do, but she sucked it up and spit it out.

"I had a panic attack."

"What is a panic attack?" Goliath asked concerned. It certainly didn't sound like a good thing to him.

"Well, it's a physical response to stress or anxiety. It felt like I was having a heart attack. I couldn't catch my breath, I was shaking, and my heart was racing. It was triggered the morning after Halloween…after you nearly died," Elisa admitted.

"Oh, Elisa," Goliath said remorsefully as he took one of her hands in his and held it reassuringly. "I did not realize you were so terribly affected by what transpired that night…Are you alright now?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"I am sorry," Goliath said tenderly stroking her cheek with the back of his talons with his free hand. "I appreciate your willingness to open up to me about this. I know it is not an easy thing for you."

"I'm trying. Especially with you."

Goliath brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

"And speaking of trying to be more open…I told my mother about us."

The look of shock on Goliath's face nearly made her giggle, but she managed to keep herself from laughing at his expense.

"I'm rather surprised, Elisa. You tend to keep your mother in the dark about a lot of your personal life."

"Yeah, I know. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, I guess," she joked. "Actually, when I was having my panic attack, I called my mother for help. We started talking, and I wound up spilling my guts to her."

"About us?"

"About us. About the Hunters. About Thailog nearly killing you. There's been a lot that has happened in my life lately, and I haven't been processing it in a healthy way."

Goliath nodded thoughtfully.

"How did your mother handle the news?"

"Surprisingly well, though she had a lot of concerns and uncomfortable questions. God, she actually asked about how we could be physically intimate," Elisa said with a nervous laugh, and then she suddenly became hyper aware of Goliath's eyes on her and the way he was lightly rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Gently almost suggestively. The way he might caress more intimate parts of her.

"With a great deal of care, I would imagine," he said thoughtfully.

Elisa felt her heart race and her face flushed with nervous anticipation.

"So, you do want physical intimacy to be a part of our relationship?" she asked tentatively.

Elisa almost felt naked with how intensely he was looking at her, and then his face softened suddenly as he realized that although she knew he loved her, she had no idea how badly he wanted her.

"Of course I do," he said "but only as long as it is something you want–"

"Yes," Elisa interjected quickly, nearly shouting it. She blushed even more at her outburst and Goliath chuckled fondly. "But I don't know what exactly is possible for us. We are different species after all, and I don't want you to be disappointed if we can't–"

"Elisa…let's not get ahead of ourselves here," Goliath stopped her. "Intimacy can be many things, and we have a lot of time to figure it all out."

Elisa nodded and gave him a grateful smile. Then Goliath reached out and took a lock of her hair and slowly dragged it through his talons. He did it in such a way that it felt incredibly intimate.

"But…I am really looking forward to exploring our options together," Goliath purred, and Elisa felt a rush of excitement that pooled low in her belly. His words and the timber of his voice held the promise of many long nights of pleasure and passionate words spoken in the dark. She absentmindedly bit her bottom lip before she realized what she was doing and stopped.

"So…uh, have you eaten yet?" she asked changing the subject before she could further embarrass herself.

"I could eat," Goliath replied with a bemused smile.

"Come on, then," Elisa said taking his hand in hers as she led him down to the kitchen. "I'm starving."

* * *

Brooklyn, Angela, and Broadway returned to the castle from their patrol for a meal, and as they neared the kitchen, they heard Elisa's contralto laughter tempered by the rumbling bass laugh from Goliath reverberating down the hall.

"Well, that's a welcome sound," Angela said brightly, as she grinned from ear to ear.

They stopped at the kitchen door and Brooklyn soundlessly pushed it open just wide enough for the three of them to peer inside.

They stood by the stove, one with a large flattop grill, where they were cooking a couple of steaks. Goliath had his hand on the small of Elisa's back and he leaned over and said something to her. Elisa bumped him with her hip so that he stumbled slightly. They both laughed again and Goliath pulled her into his arms, and then leaned down and kissed her.

The three of them smiled happily, warmed by the sight of their leader and dear friend repairing and fortifying their tattered relationship. It was amusing to think how happy they all were that Goliath was in a relationship with a human, but Elisa wasn't any ordinary human, she was special, and they all adored her, none more than Goliath, of course. As they witnessed the kiss between their leader and his human love start to deepen, Brooklyn began to feel a little embarrassed about spying on them, so he pushed the door open the rest of the way and loudly proclaimed, "Get a room, you two!"

The couple pulled apart instantly at the intrusion of the three gargoyles as they entered the kitchen. Bronx lifted his head up from the floor where he had been napping and peered up at the others before lying back down uninterested.

Elisa blushed and pulled her attention back to the steaks sizzling on the grill.

"Hey, you guys hungry? I could throw a few more on the grill for ya," she said nonchalantly as if they hadn't just walked in on her making out with their leader.

"Sure! Thanks!" Broadway said cheerfully, excited by the prospect of food.

"We don't want to intrude," Angela said as she elbowed Broadway lightly in the ribs.

"You're not intruding," Elisa insisted, though Goliath's expression said otherwise.

She threw several more steaks on the grill while Broadway and Angela set about putting a simple salad together.

"How was patrol?" Goliath asked Brooklyn.

"Pretty quiet," he replied as he pulled a stool up to the prep counter and sat down. "We interrupted a few attempted muggings, but nothing beyond that. Oh, and some guy that was threatening a homeless pregnant woman."

Elisa startled at that.

"Wait. Tell me more about that last one," she asked.

"The pregnant woman?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, I'm not exactly sure what was going on. She seemed like she knew the guy, but it didn't seem like a domestic fight. He looked kinda familiar, but I didn't get a good look at him. He rabbited as soon as we showed up," Brooklyn explained.

"I feel like I've seen the guy before somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it…" Broadway mused as he chopped up a tomato.

"We tried to convince her to go to a women's shelter or the police station to report the man, but she refused. What kind of person beats up a pregnant woman anyway?" Angela said appalled.

"No one good," Elisa replied. Something nagged at her to ask more questions. It could be anyone, but her gut was telling her to keep digging.

"Where did this happen? Did you get the victim's name? What did she look like?"

"Uh…we didn't get a name, sorry. Her skin tone was close to yours, perhaps a shade lighter. Big curly hair. Short. Thick Bronx accent…and super pregnant, like I said. Like, about to pop kind of pregnant. The incident occurred around Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem."

"Shit!" Elisa cursed loudly.

"Elisa, do you know the woman?" Goliath asked.

"Yeah, the description sounds like Nita. She's ah…uh, well, she's a former streetworker—a prostitute—that I've had a few run ins with. She's a good person. Life just dealt her some bad cards. I should try and go look for her. Make sure she's ok."

She passed the spatula she was using to cook the steaks to Goliath and then grabbed her jacket off the back of a chair.

"You haven't eaten yet," Goliath objected as she slipped back into her red bomber.

"I know, but she's probably scared as hell right now."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Goliath asked.

"Not that I can think of," Elisa said as she stood on her tiptoes and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "I should go."

"Wait, let me walk you out at least," Goliath insisted and he passed the spatula on to Broadway.

"Sure," Elisa said with a warm smile. "Bye guys."

She waved to the others as she walked out.

"Bye, Elisa!" they responded in unison.

* * *

"Are you sure there is nothing we can do to help?" Goliath asked as they approached the bank of elevators in the great hall of the castle.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Elisa said as she pushed the elevator call button.

"When can I see you again?" Goliath asked as he stepped closer, threaded a hand through her hair, and cupped the side of her head tenderly. His other hand rested on her hip, and he pulled her closer. Elisa's heart raced. It was still strange to have Goliath be so forward with his affection for her, but it was strange in a very welcome way.

"Soon, I hope."

She slipped her arms around Goliath's neck, and he moved his arms around her tightly as he leaned down to press his lips to hers in the way he had several times that night already. The kiss started out innocent enough, but their guard was falling, and long repressed desires were stirring. Elisa opened her mouth to his and deepened the kiss. Goliath startled at first when he felt her tongue lightly touch his own, but then he applied himself to it ardently.

Until one of his fangs caught on her lip.

Elisa startled and pulled back. She lightly touched the sore spot, and a tiny smear of blood stained her fingertips when she pulled her hand away.

"Oh, Elisa, I am sorry," Goliath apologized, feeling extremely embarrassed by his faux pas.

"It's alright. It happens," Elisa said with a reassuring smile.

Goliath gave her a doubtful look.

"I am afraid that I am not very good at this," he sighed. He had always been confident about his skills as a lover, but Elisa was a completely unknown creature with different ways of showing affection that made him feel clumsy and inexperienced.

The elevator pinged and the doors opened, Elisa quickly kissed him and then stepped back into the car.

"You're fine, but you know what they say," she said with a grin.

"Say about what?" Goliath furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Practice makes perfect," she said and winked at him before the elevator doors closed.

Goliath rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about what she said, and then he chuckled to himself as he walked back to the kitchen. Learning a new skill would take a lot of effort, but there would be nothing tedious about _that_ sort of practice with Elisa.


	5. Confrontations

**November 4, 1996** **  
11:10 p.m.  
Labyrinth**

Elisa was really glad she knew where to look for Nita, but it did take a bit of asking around to track her down in the tunnels of the Labyrinth. She shared an alcove with another woman, likely her friend who brought her down to live in the underground community. Julia was extremely protective of Nita and left very reluctantly to allow Elisa to speak with her alone.

"Let me take you to a doctor, just to make sure you're ok," Elisa tried, knowing Nita would likely turn her down.

"Did you confuse me with someone who can afford a doctor?" Nita snapped. "Besides, he only hit me in the face." Her right eye was turning black and her cheekbone was red and swollen.

Elisa had brought a small first aid kit with her, just in case, and she handed Nita a chemical cold compress to place on her injured face.

"Keep this on for a few minutes to help with the swelling," she said gently.

"Thanks," Nita said diffidently.

"Who was the guy who assaulted you, Nita? Do you know him?" Elisa questioned gently.

Nita sighed.

"Yeah. I know 'im," she said reluctantly. "He's just a guy who tried to get me and a few other workers to sell drugs. That's all," Nita turned away and grew silent.

"Listen, Nita, I'm not after you, ok? I want the guy who hit you, and I'm guessing, forced you into dealing."

Nita looked back at her hesitantly. Her legs bounced restlessly as she sat on her small, dingy mattress.

"He goes by the name PJ."

Elisa raised an eyebrow.

"I know, makes him sound like he's a little kid," Nita scoffed. "We met about a year ago. He was real sweet at first. Said he'd help get me off the street. I'd have a warm bed and regular meals in exchange for a cut of my earnings. It was only a small cut at first, and then he started demanding more, and then he started pressuring me to sell drugs. I never liked dealing. I knew I could get a lot of time for that, but PJ would beat me and threatened to kill me if I didn't."

"Sounds like a great guy."

"Yeah," Nita said bitterly. "When I found out I was pregnant, I bailed. He probably figured I was dead or in jail or something, but I heard one of my friends was real sick, so I went to see if I could help her."

She sniffled.

"I don't know how he found me, but PJ confronted me and accused me of stealing from him."

"Stealing what? Drugs? Money?"

"…the baby," Nita said quietly as she reflexively touched her belly.

"The baby is PJ's?"

"I'm not sure, but most of the men who paid me just wanted me to blow 'em. PJ always took whatever he wanted from me."

"So, he raped you, too?"

Nita shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's not like anyone's gonna believe a whore."

"I do."

Nita was quiet for a moment as she sat and rubbed her swollen belly, deep in thought.

"I think he actually might have killed me anyway despite the baby…if it weren't for…them," she said in a near whisper.

"Weren't for who?" Elisa played dumb, knowing exactly who she was referring to.

"Those gargoyles."

"Gargoyles helped you?" Elisa said affecting a skeptical tone.

"Yeah, they looked like some of the gargoyles down here...but they were different."

"Huh. Maybe they all share similar features."

Nita looked up at her from the floor, her eyes sharp and suspicious.

"How did you know I was in trouble?" she asked.

Nita may not have finished school, but she wasn't stupid. She could put two and two together.

"A…contact of mine witnessed your altercation and reported it to me."

"A contact?"

"Yeah, listen, Nita, I hate to ask…but you mentioned PJ was going to kill you. Was that an impression you got in the moment…or do you know first-hand if he is capable of murder?" Elisa pressed.

Nita looked away and Elisa knew then that she was onto something.

"Nita…my partner and I have been looking into cases where women like you keep winding up in the river. Their deaths have been ruled as ODs, but we think their deaths might have been intentional. Do you know anything?"

Nita looked at her and there was fear in her eyes, but she said nothing.

"Would you be willing to come to the station with me? We can take your statement and start working on putting a case together on this guy. We can at least get him for assault."

"No! I'm not leaving. I'm safe down here," Nita said panicking.

"Maybe you are, Nita, but if he's the one responsible for these other deaths, more women could die—"

"No. I can't help you," she said firmly.

"Nita—"

"I SAID I CAN'T HELP YOU!" Nita shouted and then sniffled as she fought back tears.

Elisa sighed and tapped her fist on her thigh with frustration.

"If you change your mind, you know how to reach me, ok?"

Nita nodded, but would not meet her eyes.

"I'll see ya later, Nita" Elisa said and turned to leave. "Remember to use that compress. It will really help."

Before she stepped foot out of the living space, Nita spoke again.

"You know…there's a gargoyle down here that looks an awful lot like you. Sounds just like you, too."

Elisa froze.

"Yeah?" she said feigning surprise as she looked over her shoulder. "How odd."

"Yeah. Real odd," Nita said as she narrowed her eyes.

**November 17, 1996**   
**10:00 p.m.  
Castle Wyvern**

Xanatos was working late in his office signing contracts that Owen had brought in for him when Goliath flung open his door.

"Up to your old tricks, Xanatos?" Goliath accused angrily.

"Always. Never stopped, but what tricks are you accusing me of specifically?" Xanatos asked smugly as he placed the cap back on his pen.

"You were in London _and_ Edinburgh," Goliath accused.

Lexington had emailed Elisa informing her of the events in London regarding the Stone of Destiny and Xanatos's involvement, and she had then informed Goliath.

"Ah, yes. We had a lovely time. Fox bought new shoes," Xanatos said blithely.

Goliath narrowed his eyes at his deliberate obtuseness.

"You can buy shoes here. You did not need to go all the way to London for them," Goliath snarled.

"I will take my wife anywhere she pleases to buy shoes, if it makes her happy," Xanatos responded coolly.

A rumbling sound of disapproval emanated from the large gargoyle.

"Your steel clan and Coyote robot were there. They went up against my clan, my kind! You swore that the feud between us was over!"

"They were not ordered to harm, only to distract. I was sincere when I told you I have no ill will towards you and your clan."

Goliath clenched his hands into fists, and his knuckles audibly creaked and popped.

"I do not trust you, Xanatos."

"Whether or not you trust me does not change the fact that you and your clan are still safe under my roof."

"And if we are not under your roof?"

He did not answer, but his smile took on a more devilish appearance.

"If it weren't for the fact that your attempts to steal the Stone of Destiny were foiled, and no one was harmed, I would throw you off the tallest turret of this castle," Goliath growled, and with a snap of his wings, he turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him hard enough it shook the walls and cracked the frame.

Xanatos smiled satisfactorily to himself.

He would not harm the gargoyles, he was sincere about that. They were too much of an asset, and he owed Goliath a debt he could never repay for saving his son, but he sure enjoyed going up against the gargoyle leader.

Life would be too boring if they were on the same side all the time.

**November 18, 1996** **  
7:15 p.m.  
** **New York County Morgue**

Elisa and Matt had received a request to head to the county morgue and speak with the Medical Examiner about the autopsy that had been performed on the woman they had recently pulled from the river.

So far, all of their attempts to ID the woman had failed, and they had not been able to track down any family to notify of her death and to claim her remains, but they had lucked out in at least one regard: the normal Medical Examiner, a sloppy and, Elisa suspected, biased man, was off on vacation this week, and a different doctor performed the autopsy.

Elisa and Matt introduced themselves to the M.E., a middle-aged woman with a slight Indian accent and sleek black hair that was just starting to gray. She introduced herself as Dr. Laghari.

"The tox report came back and as suspected, she had a lethal dose of heroin in her system consistent with overdose," she informed them.

"Ok, same as the last two. Why did you have us come all the way down here just to tell us that?" Elisa asked.

"Because there are…inconsistencies with her death," the doctor replied.

"Inconsistencies?" Matt asked.

Dr. Laghari went to a refrigerated drawer, pulled out the body of their Jane Doe, and rolled back the sheet that covered her. The victim didn't look any better from when she had been pulled from the river, but she had been cleaned and her hair combed and tidied. Some care and reverence was used that Elisa appreciated.

"She has multiple contusions primarily to the right side of her face, but nowhere else on her body," Dr. Laghari pointed out. "If she had sustained these injuries in the river, they would be in multiple locations, but there aren't any. They were also sustained pre-mortem not post."

"Like someone had beaten her?" Elisa asked.

"I cannot say for certain. The cause of the injuries is undetermined, but it's possible."

Elisa and Matt looked at each other.

"But officially a drug overdose killed her," Matt clarified.

"Correct, but her wounds had no time to begin healing. She sustained them just prior to her death."

"Is there any way to know if the heroin was administered by herself or someone else?" Elisa asked, working off a theory.

"I'm sorry detectives…I have no way to determine that with the evidence I have."

"Was there any other evidence, someone else's DNA or epithelial cells…anything unusual at all?"

"Unfortunately, the river destroyed any evidence that may have been left on her body," the doctor said regrettably.

Elisa sighed heavily.

"Well, you've given us some things to think about. Thanks, doc."

They left the morgue and walked back to Elisa's car, both deep in thought as they pondered the case.

"So, three women were beaten, overdosed on heroin, and just happened to fall into the East River, effectively destroying any other physical evidence, huh?" Elisa said skeptically.

"Stranger things have happened," Matt shrugged, but he wasn't convinced either.

"You know, Nita, my contact down in the Labyrinth, was attacked by her former pimp a week ago. She had bruises to the right side of her face just like the other women, and if our _friends_ hadn't been there, she thinks he would have killed her." Elisa said.

"Predominantly left-handed perp?"

"Possibly. She said he went by the name PJ, but she wouldn't tell me anything else. She's really frightened of the guy."

"Might be connected."

"Might be? I will bet you my car he's our guy."


	6. Life and Death

**November 30, 1996**   
**5:00 a.m.**   
**Elisa's Loft  
**

Elisa waited for Goliath out on her roof, wrapped in a warm woolen blanket. It was a crisp clear night, but the air had a hard bite to it. The mild weather of fall was moving into the harsh cold of winter, and she shivered and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders a little more tightly. The nights were growing longer, and although it was cold, it meant she could actually spend time with Goliath after work. Over the past month, they had formed a routine. On the nights that she worked, Goliath would swing by her loft after she had come home from her shift and they would spend the morning hours talking and being together. On her nights off, she accompanied him on patrol since he felt the need to pick up the slack from Hudson and Lexington's absence. She enjoyed those nights in particular. They got to spend a lot of time together to simply talk, and dream, and discuss any of the concerns or troubles they were having, whether they were little or larger more existential issues. On the nights when she was working, Goliath often checked in with her and Matt and tailed them if they were responding to a call.

Elisa was grateful for the last few weeks and the time they'd had to grow accustomed to what life for them would be like as a couple. It was certainly unconventional, but Elisa was finding it very pleasant. Some nights, she would even come home to Goliath waiting for her. He'd be reading a book, or he'd have a cup of tea waiting for her. He would often read to her, poems and sonnets or passages in books he was currently reading, which she really enjoyed. After years of coming home to an empty apartment, it was really nice to come home to someone. He couldn't live with her, exactly, but this was the next best thing, and she could accept that.

The only complaint she had was that things had stalled between them physically. Sure, they made out like a couple of teenagers at times, but Goliath hadn't even tried to cop a feel. On the one hand, they'd only been together for a month, and she knew they should take things slow, but on the other...they'd had feelings for each other for nearly two years, and all that pent up desire and sexual frustration had her about ready to combust. Her dreams were full of him, and she'd often wake up frustrated, in a sweat, and unable to recall much in the way of detail aside from the impression of intimate liaisons. It was driving her mad. Her temper was shorter these days, and poor Matt was getting the brunt of it.

She knew Goliath must be feeling the same way because every now and then, she would catch him looking at her with his guard completely down, and for an instant she could see the full breadth of his desire and longing for her, and it would make her knees feel weak. She could see his need, his hunger in the almost predatory way she would catch him watching her. It made her feel completely exposed, and if it didn't arouse her so much, it probably would have terrified her.

And yet, there was hesitation. From both of them.

At some point they would have to cross that line from being best friends to lovers. Neither one of them wanted to be in a sexless relationship, after all, but who would be the one to do it? Who would make the first move?

Elisa had felt like she needed to wait for Goliath to initiate considering his views on sex, or mating, were a little different from hers, but maybe he was waiting for a cue from her?

If that were the case, what more did he need from her?

Did she need to throw herself at him and order him to fuck her?

She wasn't even sure if he liked that kind of forwardness.

Oh, who the hell was she kidding.

He was male.

Of course he did.

As she was fantasizing about Goliath, he came in for a swift landing on her roof. Her cheeks were flushed with arousal, and she hoped Goliath thought it was just the cold, though she wondered why she kept trying to hide that part of her from him.

The part that desperately wanted him.

"Hello, my love," he said as he bent his head down and kissed her in greeting.

But what was intended to be a quick kiss, deepened into a long sensual embrace that Elisa intentionally drew out.

"Hi," she replied eventually, her voice husky with desire.

Goliath's tail lashed at the ground, and a growl she could feel more than she could hear rumbled in his chest as he held her tightly.

Elisa may have been distracted by her hormones at the moment, but not distracted enough not to notice the large bruise that was forming on his shoulder.

"Rough night?" she asked concerned as she lightly touched the wound.

"Quarrymen again," Goliath grumbled as he articulated his shoulder lightly, obviously the contusion bothered him some, though he was trying to downplay it.

"Those guys are getting worse and worse," she sighed. "Let's head inside and put some ice on it."

Goliath reluctantly let her go as she moved out of his arms and into her apartment. He followed her in, and she directed him to have a seat on the sofa as she deposited her blanket on an armchair. Then she moved to the kitchen where she pulled a cold compress out of the freezer.

"This will at least help with some of the discomfort until the dawn heals it," Elisa said as she sat down next to him and placed the soothing gel pack on his shoulder.

"Thank you," he said sincerely as he gazed at her.

Elisa smiled lovingly at him, but her breath caught in her throat as he reached out and touched her hair in that way he did sometimes when she knew his thoughts weren't exactly chaste.

She trailed her fingers slowly down his chest, playing them lightly over the steel bands of his abdomen as he caressed her hair. Then she leaned into him, mindful of the bruise on his shoulder and pressed her lips to his.

Goliath groaned softly and pulled her in closer as he kissed her back.

"You're _really_ getting good at this, you know," Elisa sighed against his lips.

"Hmm, I suspect it is because I have an excellent teacher," Goliath rumbled, a mischievous spark in his eyes.

"Smooth," Elisa replied with a light laugh and then she kissed him again. Goliath dragged his hands through her hair as the kiss deepened and their breathing quickened. The cold pack slipped off his shoulder and he tossed it aside as he pressed Elisa back into the sofa. She let her hips fall open and wrapped her legs around him, drawing him closer until their hips connected.

Goliath growled low in his throat, a non-menacing and quite aroused growl as he pressed into her. Elisa could feel his arousal, hot and hard against her. She moaned almost involuntarily, and he kissed her harder, more insistently. His mouth slanted across hers hungrily, but he wanted to taste more of her, and he moved along her jaw and down her neck, leaving a trail of burning sensitized flesh in his wake. Elisa whimpered desperately beneath him, her hips ground against his.

And then the phone rang.

Goliath paused, his lips at the base of her throat and a hand up her shirt, though he had not crossed any boundaries yet. Elisa sighed disappointingly and extracted herself from underneath him when he sat up to let her answer her phone. They both knew the only people who would call her at this hour were her family or Matt, so it must be important.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Elisa," came Matt's tired voice. "We've got another body."

**December 2, 1996**   
**6:25 p.m.  
Labyrinth  
**

With a fourth body found in the river, Elisa knew they had to step up their efforts, but after Nita had been roughed up, she clammed up and wouldn't tell her much more than what she had already. She knew something, Elisa was sure of it, and she hoped that perhaps seeing some of the faces of the deceased could get her to talk, or at the very least maybe she could help identify two that remained unidentified, so she took a couple of photos with her to the Labyrinth.

"Please Nita, I know it's unpleasant, but if it's at all possible you know any of these women, we could use your help IDing them so that we can inform their families," Elisa begged.

"If they were turning tricks like me, they weren't doing it because someone at home loved them," Nita said bitterly as she paced back and forth.

"At the very least, they can be laid to rest with a name, instead of being buried anonymously under 'Jane Doe.' Can you help me?"

Nita sighed.

"I'll try, I guess. A lot of us didn't know each other's real names, though."

"Something is better than nothing."

Elisa pulled out the photos and warned Nita that some of the women were in rough shape.

"I don't know this one…" Nita said as she wrinkled her nose at the picture. "No, wait…that could be Stella. Yeah, I think that's her. She was from Queens, I think. Damn."

Elisa wrote that down and handed her another photo, the most recent body they pulled out of the river. Nita looked at it and immediately began trembling.

"Oh, oh no," she sobbed.

"What is it, Nita?"

"This is Sofia."

Nita took a few shaky breaths.

"That's Sofia," she said with a wail. "Sofia Esperanza. Oh, god…she was my friend. The one who I went to check on a few weeks ago and PJ showed up and tried to beat the crap out of me."

"Nita…I'm so sorry."

"Fuck!" Nita said crying, and then she doubled over screaming as if in pain.

"Is there anything I can do?" Elisa asked feeling guilty for causing the woman distress.

"Just get the bastard!" Nita shouted angrily.

And then she groaned again, a deep moaning sound that bordered on animalistic, and Elisa suddenly realized that her cries of pain were not just cries of heartbreak and anguish, but something else entirely.

"Nita…are you having a contraction?"

"No," she said angrily through gritted teeth. "I don't know. Maybe. I was feeling sick this morning, like I ate something bad, and the pains have been getting worse all day."

"I think you're in labor!" Elisa said incredulously.

Nita shuttered with relief as the pain finally subsided, and she took a few deep breaths before she resumed pacing.

"We should take you to a hospital—" Elisa started.

"I'm not going anywhere," Nita insisted. "My chances are better if I have the baby down here. If I leave again, PJ could find me, and he'll kill me."

She paced for a few more minutes while Elisa watched helplessly, then she paused and groaned loudly. Elisa glanced at her watch. Nita doubled over again and gripped her knees, and Elisa went to her and let her lean against her for support.

"Your contractions are less than five minutes apart," Elisa informed her.

"Oh, God, I think I just peed my pants," Nita said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, that would probably be your water breaking. I'm going to go find you some help," Elisa said and moved to leave.

"No!" Nita said desperately and grabbed her hand. "No, Elisa…please don't leave me. I'm scared!"

Elisa couldn't blame her. Giving birth in an abandoned underground laboratory wasn't the ideal location to have a baby…but things could certainly be worse. Nita was trembling. Elisa had read somewhere that was not an uncommon reaction during labor, but she could also be in shock or running a fever, and either one of those could be gravely serious.

"I'll be right back, Nita, I promise. I'm just going to get help, ok?"

Nita reluctantly let her go.

**December 3, 1996**   
**4:30 a.m.**   
**Elisa's Loft**

Elisa came home to a brightly lit apartment. It would have unnerved her before, but now she knew it meant Goliath was there waiting for her to come home, and that knowledge warmed her to her core, especially after a very long night.

She tossed her keys onto the counter, grabbed a glass from the cupboard, and poured a liberal amount of whiskey into it. Then she tossed it back in one gulp.

"Long night?" Goliath asked, his tone amused. He set a book of Yeats poetry down next to him on the sofa.

"I'd kiss you hello, but I'm covered in amniotic fluid, afterbirth, and god knows whatever else," Elisa said wearily. "I'm going to take a shower."

Goliath grimaced.

"What on earth were you doing?"

"Nita went into labor while I was checking on her in the Labyrinth," Elisa said as she walked past him. She didn't give Goliath a chance to respond before she disappeared into her bathroom, and she didn't reemerge until her skin was scalded and she was dressed in a pair of comfortable sweats with the Columbia University logo on them.

She walked back through her living room, paused to kiss Goliath hello, who had resumed reading, and then made herself and him a cup of tea. Jasmine for her, earl grey for him.

"How is the mother and child?" Goliath asked once she had sat down next to him and handed him a steaming cup.

"Nita and Mateo are both healthy and well…God, Goliath…I've never seen a baby being born before."

When Elisa went for help, she had grabbed Maggie and called Dr. Sato., and between the three of them, they had helped Nita bring her baby boy into the world.

"I've never witnessed a human woman give birth, either, but I was present when Demona laid the egg that was Angela…it is a similar process, I imagine. Lots of blood, lots of fluids, and lots of screaming."

Elisa huffed a laugh.

"Yeah, there was a fair bit of that," Elisa admitted. "but afterwards…there was so much joy, Goliath. When that baby took his first breaths, we all cheered…it was amazing. Miraculous, even."

Goliath smiled at the tired but joyful look on her face, but then his brows knitted with concern as the look on her face fell suddenly, her joy replaced with sorrow.

"But it's something I will never experience myself," she said aloud. "I've known that, but…I don't think I've truly accepted that…until now."

Goliath took her hand.

"You still have time, Elisa…" he said quietly, his voice pained. "Time to be with someone who you can have children with—"

"No," Elisa cut him off firmly, almost angrily. "We are not going down that road again. I have made my choice, and I am happy with my choice. I'm sad about what cannot be, and I need to feel it and grieve it, but I am not walking away from you, from us, Goliath. Not now. Not ever."

Goliath nodded and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He didn't know how else to appropriately articulate the love and gratitude he felt for her just then. If he could move heaven and earth to give her what she so deeply desired, he would, but this was one thing beyond his ability to provide her.

"Sometimes I think of what I looked like as a gargoyle or what you looked like as a human, and I try and guess what a kid of ours would look like if we were the same species," Elisa continued.

Goliath sighed sadly.

"They would be beautiful."

"Yeah, they would," Elisa said as she leaned against him and tears spilled down her cheeks. Goliath wrapped an arm around her and held her as she mourned what could never be.


	7. The Plan

**December 3, 1996** **  
6:00 p.m.  
23rd Precinct**

Elisa sat down with Matt and Captain Chavez the next night and explained the case as it stood so far, with the inclusion of the recent information she had received from Nita about the victims' IDs.

"So far, all we have is that they worked around the same area, the East Side docks, and they all OD'd on heroin and wound up in the river somehow," Chavez said as she looked at the victims' photos and their profiles. Two had been identified through their fingerprints and previous arrest records, the other two did not have any prints on file. Nita was able to ID one of them with a full name, but the third victim was still nameless aside from the street name "Stella."

"None of them share any similarities other than they are known or suspected prostitutes. They don't share the same race or even any obvious physical characteristics. Aside from a suspect who we only know by the alias 'PJ,' we've got nothing," she continued.

"We could head down to the dock and start making inquiries," Matt suggested.

"No, I doubt they would share much with police officers, and we could wind up alerting our suspect that we're onto him."

"What do you suggest then, Captain?" Elisa asked.

Captain Chavez gave her a pointed look.

"How would you feel about going undercover again?" she said.

"Undercover?" Elisa groaned. She normally didn't mind, but undercover work required extra-long hours, and if Maria was getting at what she thought she was, she would be spending a lot of time in the cold wearing next to nothing.

"We might be able to get some of your informant's colleagues to open up to you and hopefully collect evidence we can use against our suspect."

"You want me to go undercover as a prostitute?" Elisa stated dejectedly.

"Would you do it?"

Elisa sighed.

"One of these days, I want to get an assignment where my ass and tits don't have to hang out."

Matt snorted with laughter and then tried to hide it with a cough as the other two women in the room glared at him.

"So noted, detective." Maria acknowledged. "You two have a tendency to take risks, but I want this done by the book, got it? Any sign of danger to you or anyone else, and it's off."

Elisa and Matt both nodded seriously.

"You got it, Captain," Matt said.

**December 4, 1996** **  
****4:00 p.m.  
Labyrinth**

Nita and Mateo had become the most exciting thing to happen down in the Labyrinth recently, and when Elisa went to check in on the new mother, she found her alcove had changed considerably. A lot of community members had come by, bringing her food and baby supplies. They'd even helped to outfit her alcove with baby furniture, toys, and baby clothes that had been scrounged up.

To Elisa's surprise, both Maggie and Delilah were visiting the new mother and cooing over the brand-new baby, and Nita seemed to be thrilled with the attention from the mutate and gargoyle.

"He's just the sweetest!" Maggie said as she rocked the tiny bundle, her own pregnancy was just starting to become visible. "Oh, hi, Elisa!" she said and smiled at her.

Elisa had to admit, Mateo was a very cute baby. He was plump for a newborn and he had wispy dark curls that had the promise of his mother's beautiful hair.

"Hi Maggie. Delilah," she said warmly in response. It was still really unsettling to encounter her clone/hybrid, but she was starting to react less to her, especially with how often she had been coming down to the Labyrinth lately.

"Elisa," Delilah said respectfully, if not entirely in a friendly manner. It was disconcerting for her, too.

"How are you feeling, Nita?" Elisa asked.

Nita was currently eating as quickly as she could while her hands were free, in the way all mothers learned to do: eat quick or go hungry.

"I'm doin' alright," she managed to say around a mouthful of food. "My boobs and my ass hurt, and I don't get much sleep, but Julia and Maggie have been helping me so I can get a little rest."

"May I hold the baby?" Delilah asked eagerly.

"Sure, Elisa," Nita said, not bothering to look up from her food.

The room grew quiet. Elisa and Delilah looked uncomfortably at each other.

Nita looked between them and finally realized it was not Elisa who had asked to hold Mateo.

"I mean…that's fine, Delilah," she corrected awkwardly, and Maggie handed Mateo over to the female gargoyle who gazed enraptured at the baby.

Nita stared hard at Elisa and Delilah for a few seconds and then shook her head, shrugged it off, and quietly muttered something that sounded like, "This place is so weird."

"I wanted to get some advice from you, Nita," Elisa said.

"Advice? From _me_?" Nita said doubtfully.

"I need to know how to act like a prostitute."

Every female in the room turned and gawked at her like she had grown a second head.

**December 7, 1996**   
**6:30 p.m.**  
 **Elisa's Loft**

"Elisa?" Goliath called out for her.

"I'll be out in a minute, Goliath!" she replied from her bedroom.

Goliath had a seat on her sofa and waited patiently. Elisa had the night off and was joining him on patrol tonight, as was their habit lately. He was looking forward to spending the moonlight with her. Perhaps, they could even take a stroll in the park. Everything had been lit up for the holiday season, and he had to admit, it gave the city a pleasant atmosphere that was awfully inviting and even a little romantic.

Elisa came out of her bedroom, but it was not the Elisa that Goliath was accustomed to. He nearly did a double take at the sight of her. He recognized the bustier from when she pretended to be a crooked cop to bust Dracon, and the thigh-high boots from when she went undercover as "Salli" to infiltrate Brod's gang, but she paired them with an incredibly short leather skirt that barely covered her backside. She had done something to her hair to make it fuller, and she had painted her face up in almost a garish way.

"Hey there, handsome," she said coquettishly in a thicker New York accent as she sauntered over to him. She exaggerated the sway of her hips as she sashayed over. Goliath was momentarily shocked into silence, and he didn't move a limb when she slipped onto his lap and straddled him.

"Lookin' for a good time?" she teased as she placed her arms around his neck.

He was aroused by her forwardness and her proximity, but the get up was really confusing him.

"Elisa, what on earth–"

She put her hands behind his head, and pulled him to her for a blisteringly passionate kiss. Despite himself, Goliath groaned and pulled her closer to him as he kissed her back.

"Not that I am complaining, Elisa, but what has gotten into you?" Goliath said breathlessly when she finally released him.

Elisa wiped bright red lipstick off his mouth as she grinned mischievously at him, and he had to suppress the strong urge to bite at the fleshy pad of her thumb as it passed over his lips.

"What, you don't like my look?" she pouted and batted her eyelashes.

"It's…different," Goliath said diplomatically.

Elisa laughed heartily, and a smug grin spread across her face.

"I'm going undercover, and I'm testing out my look."

Goliath raised his heavy brows.

"As a…prostitute?" he asked cautiously in case he was wrong.

"Yes, as a prostitute. I'm going to try and get some info on our suspected murderer."

"Oh, thank the stars," Goliath muttered with relief. "I would love you no matter what, Elisa, but…I prefer the way you normally look."

"So do I," she laughed. "But, do I pass?"

"You are certainly…very convincing."

"Good, I'll just go get changed, and–" Elisa began to say as she dismounted him and stood up, but Goliath pulled her back down onto his lap. If she was going to play games with him, so could he.

Turnabout was fair play, after all.

He kissed her deeply and as he did, he ran his hands up her bare thighs and under her skirt. He gripped her ass, and his talons dug into her flesh, not enough to break the skin, but enough to be viscerally exciting.

Elisa gasped against his lips and then groaned and kissed him harder. Then, as abruptly as it started, Goliath stopped and pulled away.

"Now…you may change," he said, his eyes narrowed playfully.

Elisa slid off his lap and walked back towards her bedroom in a daze. Once her door was closed, she just stood there for a few moments as she contemplated what to do. She could just walk right back out there and demand he make love to her. And he would. She knew he would. She could pull the trigger and end this frustrating impasse between them…but it felt a little weird considering her current attire. When Elisa went undercover she affected the personality as well as the clothes, and although a little roleplay was fun, she didn't want her first time with Goliath to be when she wasn't acting like herself.

She thought about it as she changed, washed off the makeup, and secured her hair into a sleek ponytail.

Should she? God knew, she desperately wanted to.

But it just didn't feel right tonight.

She walked out of her bedroom dressed for the cold.

"Are you ready?" Goliath asked calmly as if he hadn't had his hands up her skirt just a few moments ago.

"All set," Elisa replied.


	8. Best-Laid Plans

**December 23, 1996  
** **1:20 a.m.  
East Side Docks**

They shouldn't have been out tonight. They didn't have the required backup due to the upcoming holidays, and half the precinct was out with the flu. Chavez would have her head if she knew, but Elisa had a hunch, a gut feeling that they were close, and she figured between her, Matt, and Goliath, they would be alright.

They had been at this for a few weeks now. Elisa would spend the night walking the docks where Nita used to work. She'd talk with some of the other women who worked down there, but they were very territorial and distrustful. Elisa got the sense that they were normally a little like this, but with the recent deaths, they were even more leery of someone new.

So, instead of trying to ingratiate herself with them, Elisa focused on trying to figure out who PJ was and whether or not he was the one killing sex workers.

As Elisa worked, every now and then a car would pull up in front of her, she'd cautiously saunter over, lean into the passenger window, speak with the man inside, and then she'd get in, and they'd drive away, only to return a little while later.

Of course, the men were officers in plain clothes and not actual solicitors, but they had to keep up appearances.

Occasionally, a man came along who truly tried to pick her up, and Elisa would play along. Then she'd take him to a nearby hotel room where he would then be arrested by her and an awaiting officer.

The only time it got weird was when Officer Morgan helped out. He was always a gentleman, and she appreciated his help, but with their extremely brief dating history, it was a little uncomfortable to play whore to him.

Goliath often lurked nearby while she was working. She couldn't always see him, but she knew he was there, keeping an eye out. He never interfered, only made sure she wasn't in any real danger. Tonight, Elisa had specifically asked him to be there to help if things went south.

 _"You must be getting tired,"_ Goliath's rumbling voice came through her ear piece.

Elisa bent over to adjust her boot, and as she did she spoke into her com.

"I'm alright," she whispered. "It's cold, and my legs are a little tired, but…maybe I could get you to rub them for me later?"

 _"If that is your wish, I will happily oblige, along with anywhere else you might feel some…discomfort,"_ came Goliath's flirtatious reply.

Elisa just managed to keep the grin off her face over the fact that he had confidently flirted back. It was an aspect of him she _definitely_ needed to explore further.

 _"I'd just like to remind you two that I'm on this channel as well."_ Matt said irritably. _"Good Lord, maybe you two should go check into one of those rent-by-the-hour hotel rooms."_

Elisa smirked and winked up at the dark shadow on the roof, and she could have sworn he winked back.

* * *

"It sure is quiet tonight," Angela sighed.

"I wish it were a little more exciting," Brooklyn lamented as Angela and Broadway snuggled up to each other. He rolled his eyes, wishing they could keep their hands off each other for just one damn night so that he didn't have to feel like a third wheel.

Bronx suddenly stood up, his body rigid and his large fan-like ears attentive. The three other gargoyles keyed into his body language and became instantly alert.

"Hand over your wallet and anything valuable!" a voice from below said in a cold cruel tone.

The three peered over the side of Belvedere castle, where they had been hanging out, and saw a man holding a yuppy couple at knife point.

"No, please. Take my wallet, but the watch was my late father's," a man with floppy brown hair said.

"Do you want me to cut up your lady, man?" the mugger threatened.

"Just give him the stupid watch, Brendan!" the woman with blond hair replied.

"Well, there's our cue," Brooklyn said as he leapt over the edge of the wall and landed right behind the mugger. He threw him down and used his tail like a whip to knock the knife out of his hand. Then he grabbed the mugger by the front of his shirt and held him up several feet off the ground.

"I think you need to call it a night," Brooklyn growled, his eyes glowing white.

The mugger, too terrified to even scream, went white as a ghost and then pissed himself.

"Seriously, man?" Brooklyn said distastefully.

The mugger promptly feinted.

Brooklyn sighed and set him down.

In the meantime, the blond woman shouted, "It's one of those monsters! Help!" and took off screaming.

"Margot! Wait!" the man, Brendan, called after her.

Broadway and Angela landed on the ground next to the remaining victim.

"That 'monster' was saving your life," Broadway muttered disdainfully.

"Are you alright?" Angela asked Brendan. She saw the wallet lying on the ground and picked it up to hand it back to its owner.

"Y-yeah. Th-th-thanks," he stuttered as he gingerly took back his wallet.

"You should get out of here. We've got this," she said.

Brendan didn't need to be told a second time. He took off after his wife.

But Margot's screams had alerted others. A group who had been rallying nearby, came running with hoods over their heads. A few of them wielded hammers that hummed and arced with electricity.

"Oh, crap!" Brooklyn growled as he saw the Quarrymen come charging.

Broadway turned to his brother, his face despondent.

"You wish it was a little more exciting, huh? You just had to go and say it, didn't you?"

* * *

"Brooklyn? What is it?" Goliath said into his com.

_"Broadway's been hurt. *crackle* He can't glide home, and Angela and I can't carry him and Bronx."_

"Where are you?" he demanded.

_"Central Park on the north side. Near Belvedere Castle"_

Goliath spoke into the other com he had—it was starting to become confusing—that connected him to Elisa.

"Elisa, Broadway is injured and in need of aid."

 _"Injured? How badly?"_ Elisa replied concerned.

"Nothing life threatening, they just need help getting him home, but…I do not want to leave you unprotected."

_"I've got Matt. Go. I'm alright here."_

Something told him he should stay, but his clan needed him right now, and he reluctantly left Elisa to help them.

* * *

Goliath found them off a path in the park near Belvedere castle. Broadway was sulking and looking rather pale, while Angela tried her best to comfort him. Brooklyn was on lookout with Bronx.

"What happened?" Goliath asked.

"We stopped a couple from getting mugged in the park, but we didn't notice the gang of Quarrymen nearby. One of the _grateful_ victims was so overcome with gratitude that she started screaming, and the Quarrymen came running. Luckily, they had never encountered real gargoyles before, and we frightened them off pretty easily," Brooklyn explained. "But one brave asshole clipped Broadway with a hammer and snapped the main arm of his wing."

Goliath winced and crouched down to Broadway's level.

"Can you stand?" he asked him.

Broadway looked up at him, his face was pale, and he was perspiring from the pain.

"Every time I move, it jostles my wing, but I'll try," he muttered. He tried to stand, but then promptly sat back down. "Jalapeña! I think I might throw up!"

"Wing breaks are often extremely painful due to all of the nerve endings that allow us to feel the wind and adjust to it," Goliath said as he helped Broadway up to his feet. "This will be painful, but we'll get you home…just…try not to vomit on me, please."

* * *

Elisa walked slowly down the street. It was quiet. The sound of her heels clacking against the concrete and the nearby slapping of water in the river were all that could be heard. It was also a really cold night, and she was grateful for the long faux-fur coat she wore, despite how trashy it looked. At least it kept her warm.

A man with too much confidence to be a John started to approach her from the end of the street.

"Heads up, Matt," Elisa said quietly into her concealed mic.

"I haven't seen you around here before," the man said as he approached her, his hand casually in one pocket as he leaned against the wall. He was completely average looking in every way. Just a regular white guy in his 40s you might see working at a bank.

Elisa casually pulled her coat open and placed a hand on a cocked hip as she flashed her lean physique and curves at him. He eyed her lustily, and it made her sick, but she kept it off her face.

"I heard the opportunities were better here by the docks," Elisa said. "You lookin' to get lucky tonight?"

"I feel like I should be asking you that question," he said as he drew nearer.

"I'll do anythin' you want, baby, but you gotta pay," Elisa said.

The man got closer and acted as though he were going to reach for his wallet, when someone grabbed her from behind. They twisted her right arm behind her back, and when she fought back, they pulled her arm back tighter, twisting and straining her arm to the point she thought it was going to break, and then they pulled a knife out and pressed it against her throat. She whimpered from the pain and the real threat of her carotid artery being severed and stopped fighting.

"Well, if it isn't Detective Maza," a familiar voice hissed into her ear.

She felt her stomach drop. He knew her, and she was surprised to find she knew him, but she couldn't quite place him.

The other man stood watching them, gloating, ready to act if asked.

 _Where in the world was Matt?_ Elisa wondered as she tried to keep from panicking.

"You stuck your pretty little nose into Dracon's business and then Brod's, and now…you're stickin' it into mine, and I can't have that. So…what. to. do. with. _you_?" He tapped the knife against her throat to emphasize each word.

Elisa didn't give him a chance. She stomped her heel onto his foot, and when his grip loosened on her, she threw her elbow back hard, right into his solar plexus, and slammed the back of her head into his face.

Her attacker was on the ground gasping for air and holding his ruined nose as Elisa stood over him, breathing heavily from the exertion and the adrenaline running through her now.

"Got anywhere else you want me to stick it?" she spat.

The other man came at her then. He lunged to get a hold of her, but she grabbed his outstretched arm and used his momentum to throw him forward and onto his back. Then, before he could recover, she rolled him over, pulled his arms back behind him, and pinned him down.

Her knife-wielding attacker picked himself up off the ground, and Elisa pulled out the small gun she concealed inside her boot and trained it on him.

Blood poured down his face from his ruined nose, but she recognized him. The long pinched face and greased back hair.

"Pal Joey," Elisa growled.

Pal Joey.

_PJ._

"Thought you were in prison with your boss, Dracon," she snarled.

He turned and ran.

"Shit!" Elisa hissed.

She pulled a pair of handcuffs from her other boot and put them on the wrists of the guy she had on the ground. Then she took off after Pal Joey, running as fast as she could, but after a few strides, the heel of her right boot snapped. She stumbled and just barely managed to keep herself from falling.

"Stupid god-damn heels!" she cursed.

She hobbled after him, but she only got close enough to witness him climb into a nearby car and speed off. He got to the end of the street before he turned the car around and sped right back towards her.

"Ah, hell," she muttered as she dove out of the way into an alley as he drove past and narrowly missed running her down. He stopped the car next to his buddy, who picked himself up off the ground, despite being handcuffed, and threw himself into the back of the car. Then Pal Joey drove off, his tires squealing as he peeled out.

Elisa trained her gun on the fleeing vehicle, but she couldn't get her aim on it before it disappeared down a side street.

"Damnit!" Elisa shouted angrily.

She heard someone moving behind her, and she whirled defensively only to see Matt walking up.

"And where the _fuck_ were you?!" she snapped, and then she paused as she took in his appearance, his swelling eye, and the way he was holding his ribs.

"Oh, my god! Matt!" she cried out dismayed and ran to his side.

"We've been made," he groaned.

Matt hadn't come to help her because Pal Joey or one of his goons had jumped him first.

She ducked under his arm and put her own around his waist to stabilize him as she helped him walk back to his car.

"Come on. Let's get you some help," she said gently.

* * *

"Pal Joey? One of Dracon's men?" Goliath asked as he spoke quietly with Elisa on her roof outside her loft.

She and Matt had recently returned from the hospital where he had been looked over. He had a mild concussion and a few bruised ribs from where he had been hit, but thankfully nothing worse. Elisa didn't feel comfortable with him going home alone with a head injury, so she insisted he stayed at her place tonight so that she could keep an eye on him, and now he was currently laid out on her sofa.

Goliath had contacted her as soon as he had Broadway home, but by then Elisa was already at the emergency room with Matt.

"Yeah. Guess I need to pay our old friend a visit at Rikers," Elisa replied.

"If Broadway had not been hurt, I would have been there," Goliath growled with frustration.

"We just had some bad luck tonight," Elisa reassured. "At least we know who PJ is, or suspect anyway. I'm going to take his mug shot down to Nita to verify he's the same guy."

Goliath sighed.

"Dawn is approaching. I should return to the castle and check on Broadway."

"Sounds good, I need to get out of these clothes and take a shower anyway," Elisa replied.

Goliath brushed her hair away from her face and gently touched her neck and the faint cut where Pal Joey had pressed a knife into her throat.

“And are you alright?” he asked. “He did not harm you much?”

“I’m fine,” Elisa reassured.

He nodded relieved and cupped the side of her face and cheek tenderly.

“If anything had happened to you, I’d—”

“But nothing did, I’m ok,” she cut him off, putting an end to that particular line of thought. She put a hand reassuringly over his.

He gathered her into his arms and they held each other for a moment, but as much as she wanted to stay in his embrace, time was against them.

"Unless you want to spend the day here, you should get going," Elisa said with a sigh as she noticed the lightening of the sky at the horizon.

Goliath nodded reluctantly.

"I will see you soon," he said.

"I love you," Elisa said sincerely.

Goliath leaned down and kissed her sweetly.

"I love you, too," he said. "Get some rest," and then he left.

Elisa climbed into her apartment and yawned as she sat down heavily in an armchair across from Matt.

"Must be nice to have someone who loves you like he does," Matt said sleepily as he opened one eye to look at her.

She scowled at him. He'd only been pretending to be asleep to give them privacy.

"It's not without its sacrifices," she replied. It was nice to feel loved and adored, but it came at a price.

Matt was quiet and she thought he'd actually fallen asleep this time.

"Is it worth it?" he said suddenly and looked at her, his face serious.

"Absolutely," Elisa replied. The conviction in her voice left him with no doubt that she meant it.

"You two desperately need to get it on, though," he said unable to resist teasing her.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. What drugs did they give you anyway?"

He laughed and then groaned as it hurt his ribs.

"Serves you right," Elisa gloated.

Matt chuckled weakly and pulled the blanket up around him tighter.

"So, Pal Joey. PJ. Can't be a coincidence," he said.

"He also used his left hand to hold the knife to my throat," Elisa added.

"It's gotta be him. What's he doing out of Rikers, though?"

"That's a very good question, but one we can find out more about when we've both had some rest."

Elisa yawned as she stood up and stretched.

"And we're definitely gonna need it when we have to face the Captain tomorrow," she said as she patted Matt on the shoulder and walked past him to her bedroom.

She took a shower, brushed her teeth, slipped into a pair of comfortable flannel pajamas, grabbed a pillow and blanket, and sacked out on the floor next to Matt who was truly fast asleep now.


	9. Fallout

**December 24, 1996  
Castle Wyvern**

Captain Chavez ordered Elisa and Matt to stay home for a couple of days. Matt needed rest, and Maria was angry with both of them for going out the night before without sufficient backup. She nearly suspended them both except for the fact that their efforts, although foolhardy, had yielded fruit in the form of an official suspect.

With an unexpected night off, and the Xanatos family away at their retreat in upstate New York, Elisa decided to swing by the castle and spend time with the clan. They weren't big on holidays, and Christmas Eve was just another night to them, but she still managed to convince Goliath to stay home and spend time with her.

Honestly, it wasn't that hard.

After a shared meal with the others before they left on patrol, she and Goliath retired to the library where they sat snuggled up together in front of a large crackling fire.

"Has your _landlord_ been up to anything sneaky or underhanded lately?" Elisa asked.

"No…at least, none that I am aware of…and that worries me," Goliath responded.

"In some ways I'm glad you guys are back here to keep an eye on him. That man would give the devil a run for his money."

Goliath chuckled.

"It is certainly an odd situation we find ourselves in, living with a former enemy."

"Former?" Elisa said incredulously.

"I am not sure how else to classify him. He is not a foe, per se, but he is not a friend."

"I just wish I was a filthy rich billionaire so I could buy you all a castle to live in."

"Your home is castle enough for me."

"Yeah, but it can't hold you all."

"This is true."

"But if we had to, we'd figure out how to make it work. Just like we have with everything else," Elisa offered optimistically.

"Well...there is still _something_ we have yet to figure out..." Goliath replied as he ran his talons through her hair, letting her silky tresses glide along his fingers before he leaned down and kissed her, and then he kept kissing her as Elisa leaned back onto the oversize leather couch and pulled him down on top of her.

* * *

Broadway and Angela had just returned from patrol and were feeling a little frisky after they successfully stopped a break-in at a small mom and pop store. They playfully touched each other and laughed as they searched for a vacant room in the castle.

"The library has big comfortable sofas," Angela said biting her lip.

"I like the way you think," Broadway replied as he steered them towards the library.

They continued their fawning and pawing as they playfully teased each other. Angela was doing something _very_ distracting to Broadway's ear as he fumbled with the library door, and they practically spilled into the room, where they were startled to find Goliath and Elisa intimately entangled on the sofa. Though still properly clothed, there were hands in very improper places.

"Woah! Occupied!" Broadway exclaimed as Goliath and Elisa quickly sprang apart.

"Uhm, hey guys," Elisa said as she tried to straighten her hair and clothes. Broadway and Angela glanced knowingly at each other.

"Do you need something?" Goliath said unable to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"No, sorry, uh, we'll just…go somewhere else." Angela said lamely as she and Broadway back peddled out of the library, firmly shutting the door behind them. They tried to contain their laughter, but Elisa and Goliath could hear them chortling down the hallway.

"Nothing like having the 'kids' walk in on you to spoil the mood," Elisa sighed as she tried again to get her hair to lie down properly.

"We should not have been behaving like this in a common area anyway," Goliath said chagrined as he ran his talons through his own hair.

"Maybe we should have placed a sock on the door," Elisa said with a laugh.

"Why would we put a sock on the door?" Goliath's brows furrowed in confusion. Humans did such odd things sometimes.

"Well, in some communal living situations, like college dorm rooms, roommates use a signal like putting a tie or a sock on the doorknob so that their other roommates know that they've brought someone back to their room and wish to be left alone."

"Ah. So, you are suggesting that we implement a similar system that would inform the clan when we are… _in flagrante delicto_?" Goliath said with a wry grin.

"Well, no. I was making a joke," Elisa said with a laugh. "Though I am relatively sure Broadway and Angela were of a similar mind to us."

"Wait. What?" Goliath said taken totally off guard.

"Yeah, those two are totally doing it," Elisa said gleefully.

Goliath pulled a face that she couldn't help but laugh at.

"I think you've been a little too preoccupied yourself to notice."

"I find that information to be…quite disconcerting," Goliath scowled.

"I think they're sweet together."

"I take no umbrage at their union, but…" he sighed. "it is bothering me."

"It's because she's your daughter," Elisa said gently.

Goliath grunted.

"I am not old enough to have children that are mating," he huffed. "She should still be an egg."

"Even without magic to muck up the time differences, I bet a lot of parents feel exactly the way you do now when they realize their children are grown."

Goliath heaved a heavy regretful sigh. He had been a similar age to Angela when he had mated with Demona, but in hindsight, they had been awfully young, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had had the advantage of a few more years under his belt, whether he still would have chosen her as his mate.

Memories he did not wish to dwell on, especially when he was with Elisa, began to push their way to the surface, and he quickly squashed them down. Unfortunately, his libido had been completely killed by the intrusion, old memories, and the knowledge that his daughter had taken a mate, but the night was still young, and he wished to spend as much of it as he could with Elisa.

"Would you care to play a game of chess?" he asked.

"Sure. I'll try not to beat you so soundly this time," Elisa said with a sly grin.

Later, when Elisa was home and going through the mundane processes of getting ready for bed, she was startled to see a large purplish bruise on her neck staring back at her in the mirror, and she nearly sprayed toothpaste all over the glass.

**December 25, 1996**  
 **6:00 p.m.  
** **Maza Residence**

Elisa juggled a bundle of presents as she kicked snow off her boots on the front steps of her parents' house.

"Hello?" She called out as she walked in.

"Elisa!" Beth cried out happily as she came running down the hall and flung herself at her big sister.

"Beth!" Elisa smiled as she hugged her sister. "How'd your finals go?"

"Good! I made the dean's list again!" Beth said proudly. "I'm set to graduate with honors in the spring."

"That's fantastic!" Elisa said as she hung up her scarf and coat.

"Elisa…why are you wearing a turtleneck?" Beth asked suspiciously.

Elisa cursed her sister's intuitiveness. She may not have gone into "the family business" but her observation skills were still sharp.

"Because Mom gave it to me for my birthday, and I like this sweater," Elisa said trying to brush off her question.

"No, you don't. I distinctly recall you saying that this sweater was itchy and turtlenecks make you feel claustrophobic."

Before Elisa could stop her, Beth pulled down the collar and shouted, "Ah ha!" in triumph.

Elisa slapped her hand away.

"I swear, turtlenecks were invented just to hide hickeys!" Beth teased gleefully.

"Ok, ok, you caught me. Now leave it alone. Please," Elisa begged,

"Kinda looks like you had a date with a vampire," Beth continued with her taunting.

"Who's dating vampires?" Talon said as he came around the corner.

"Hey, Derek," Elisa said as she gave her brother a hug.

"Elisa's got a hickey," Beth whispered loudly.

"Geez, Elisa, aren't you a bit old for hickies?" Talon mocked.

Elisa swatted him.

"Is everyone here?"

"Yup, we were just waiting for you," Talon said with a warm smile.

* * *

They sat down for a late Christmas dinner as a family. These days it was hard to get them all together at once with Beth in Arizona and Talon and Maggie only able to leave the Labyrinth safely at night, and as their bellies filled, they chatted jovially with one another like a normal family.

"So, Elisa…tell us about your _boyfriend_ ," Talon teased. "…or girlfriend, I'm not judging."

"He's a guy," Elisa confirmed before mentally castigating herself for confirming that she was in fact seeing someone.

Diane gave her a wary look as she knew the truth of Elisa's situation.

"You're seeing someone? Honestly, Elisa, when on earth have you had the time?" Peter said with a laugh.

"Seriously, I thought you'd die an old maid considering you spend what little free time you have with the gargoyles," Talon joked.

"Ha ha, very funny," Elisa said sarcastically to her brother.

"Please, don't tell me it's your partner," Talon continued. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Matt, but it would be so cliché."

"Derek, come on," Maggie chastised him.

"No, I'm not romantically involved with Matt, despite the rumors," Elisa said.

"Come on, we're all dying of suspense here!" Peter said.

Elisa took a deep breath as she looked at the eager faces of her family and debated whether or not she should tell them. At some point, she would need to get it over with, and now was as good a time as any, but this could really change everything, and she steeled herself for what might come next.

"Ok, so…I wasn't planning on doing this today, but since you're all here…" She paused to calm herself. "Goliath and I are…uhm, in a relationship…together."

"Oh, come on. Quit pulling my leg," Peter said blowing her confession off as a joke, but he looked at his daughter's face and realized that she was not trying to put one over on him.

"Oh, God…" he said with dawning horror.

"I knew it!" Beth exclaimed excitedly. "I just knew it!" and then she looked at the grave faces of her father and brother.

"I guess this is only good news to me then," she said and sank down into her chair. Elisa gave her a grateful look.

"You can't be serious, Elisa," Talon said coldly, all the mirth gone from his voice.

"I am quite serious," Elisa said sincerely.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Peter shouted.

"Peter, please stay calm," Diane said firmly.

"Stay calm? Diane, our daughter is dating a gargoyle!"

"I know."

Peter paused at the tone of his wife's voice, her resignation, and the lack of shock she expressed.

"Wait…did you know about this already?"

Diane nodded reluctantly.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because I promised I would tell you myself," Elisa cut in.

"Which you were supposed to do sooner than this, by the way," Diane pointed out.

"I've been busy!" Elisa said defensively.

That did not seem to ease the look of betrayal on her father's face.

"How long have you known?" he asked his wife.

"A couple of months," Diane admitted.

"A couple of months?! And you didn't tell me?! Diane!"

"Peter, I know how close you two are. I didn't want to overstep or be the one to tell you."

The Maza patriarch looked like he was about to tear his own hair out.

"How could this even _happen_?" he lamented as he turned back to Elisa. "What could have possibly possessed you to think this was a good idea? You're different _species_ for Christ's sake!"

"Dad, please try to understand," Elisa began. "It wasn't something I ever expected to happen, it just did."

"No, absolutely not! This is ridiculous!" Peter said as he made a sweeping gesture with his arm, as if he were trying to brush away the topic of conversation entirely.

"Peter," Diane warned. "Don't say anything you'll regret later."

"If I don't say something about it now, I'll definitely regret it later," Peter rebutted.

While Peter raged about his daughter's taste in boyfriends, Talon quietly seethed until he could bite his tongue no longer.

"Elisa, don't be an idiot," he interjected angrily.

"Excuse me?" Elisa said affronted by her brother's audacity, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

Beth and Maggie glanced nervously at each other across the table as the discussion grew more and more heated.

"Do you know what I would give to have a normal life again? To be able to walk hand-in-hand with Maggie down the street in broad daylight? To have a normal child?! You could have that life, Elisa, and yet you would throw it all away for _Goliath_?!"

"You have no right to tell me how to live my life," Elisa snapped.

"But it's ok for you to tell everyone how to live theirs?" Talon shouted as he recalled several instances where he had felt his bossy older sister had tried to dictate how he lived his life. "Elisa can dish out advice for everyone, but she can't take it herself, is that it?"

"Derek, please," Maggie pleaded, but Talon ignored her.

"I warned you about Xanatos, and if you had only listened to me–" Elisa said defensively.

"Elisa, he's not even human!" Talon cut her off.

"Neither are you!" Elisa shouted without thinking and instantly wished she could take it back.

Everyone went silent for a few shocked seconds before Talon erupted.

"Well, at least I'm not FUCKING A GARGOYLE!" he roared maliciously, his fists hit the table angrily, rattling the dishes and knocking a couple of glasses over. His fists crackled with unspent electric energy.

"Derek!" Diane snapped.

"That's enough, Derek!" Maggie hissed.

"I'm going to go," Elisa said as she stood up from the table.

"Elisa, no," Beth pleaded. "Please stay! It's Christmas!"

"We can work this out. Just stay and talk, please," her mother begged.

"Elisa—" her father began to say.

"No, I need to cool my head before I say something I _really_ regret," she said as she fought back bitter tears.

She hugged her mother.

"Thank you for dinner," she said. "I'm sorry for ruining it."

Then she grabbed her coat and left.


	10. Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a conversation between Elisa and Goliath that refers to events that occurred in my short story, "Broken Vows," but I don't think you have to read it to enjoy this chapter.

**December 25, 1996  
9:15 p.m.  
Elisa's Loft**

Elisa walked into her dark apartment and the quiet and stillness of it was like a slap in the face compared to the warmth and laughter she shared earlier with her family. Goliath had expected her to be at her parents until much later, so he was not there to greet her. She walked over to her computer desk and rifled around for the communicator that was dialed into the same frequency the gargoyles used.

"Hey, are you guys out tonight?" she said into the device.

After a few minutes she heard Goliath's staticky reply.

_"Yes, Elisa, is everything alright?"_

There was a long pause as Elisa warred with herself. She didn't need to drag them into her family's squabbles. She would tell him later.

"Yup. Just checking in," she said eventually trying to hide the quaver in her voice. "Be safe out there."

She set the com down and ran her trembling hands through her hair. She'd completely blown up her family and on Christmas of all times. Her knees felt wobbly, and she sat down heavily on her sofa as she tried to calm down.

What had she done?

* * *

"Something's wrong with Elisa," Goliath said aloud to Brooklyn over the whistling wind as they glided over the east docks. They'd been trying to keep an eye out for Pal Joey or any of Dracon's other men.

"Do you want to go check on her?" Brooklyn replied.

"Yes," Goliath admitted.

"Go on, I'll connect with Angela and Broadway. We can patrol without you," Brooklyn offered.

Goliath looked gratefully at his second.

"If there is any trouble, any at all, call me on the com,"

"Yeah, yeah, go on," Brooklyn said offhandedly.

Goliath nodded and banked off towards Elisa's loft.

* * *

Elisa sat on her sofa dejectedly, her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

She heard a light tapping at her window, and then Goliath let himself in. He rarely bothered knocking anymore, but he didn't want to startle her.

"You didn't have to come check on me," Elisa said, but she didn't mean it. She was glad to see him.

Goliath sat down next to her.

"Something is obviously troubling you," he said as he took her hands in his and held them gently.

"I told my family…about us," she said softly.

"I take it the news was poorly received?" he asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, it definitely did not go well," Elisa said bitterly.

"Why did you not wait for a time that I could be there with you to tell them? If I had known you were planning to tell them tonight, I would have been there. I _should_ have been there."

"I wasn't planning on it. It just happened." Elisa said shaking her head. "And now…my dad is furious, and Derek…I don't know if Derek will ever speak to me again. We said some pretty awful things to each other. Goliath…I-I don't know how to fix this!"

Goliath took her in his arms.

"Some things cannot be fixed," he said gently. "Give it time. They are in shock right now, but your family loves you, I cannot imagine they would be upset with you forever."

"My father didn't speak to his father for a very long time after he left the reservation. My family is exceptionally good at holding grudges."

Goliath didn't have anything to say to refute that.

"I'm sorry…" Elisa said as she angrily wiped away her tears. "I didn't mean to drag you away. I'm ok, really."

"No, you're not, Elisa," Goliath said sternly. "Nor would I expect you to be."

Elisa's bottom lip quivered, but despite Goliath's words, she did not want to fall apart right now, and she pulled herself together.

"How's the night going?" she said, abruptly changing the subject.

Goliath let it go. Elisa obviously didn't want to talk about her family anymore, and he knew better than to force her.

"Peaceful, so far," he replied.

"I suppose that's one good thing about Christmas. Even the criminals lay low."

Elisa sighed and snuggled into Goliath. She rested her head on his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her and slowly ran a hand through her hair. They were silent for a long time as they took comfort in each other.

"Have I told you before how much I admire you?" Goliath said sometime later, breaking the silence.

"What?" Elisa nearly laughed at his random praise.

"Take your current case for example, most people would not care about what happens to women like Nita, but you do," he pointed out.

"They're human beings, Goliath, despite what they have to do to survive," Elisa said sternly, chastising him.

"I am not judging them or their profession, Elisa," Goliath said in a gentle placating tone.

Elisa settled down, but she was still slightly agitated.

"I was blinded by my love for Demona, so I never saw the fear, pride, and bloodlust that motivated her, until it was too late," Goliath said in a quiet, thoughtful tone. "To put it another way, I never saw the Demon in my Angel. We all have a dark side, faults, and shortcomings, but Demona's contempt for anyone she deemed beneath her should have been a red flag."

Elisa wasn't sure why Goliath had suddenly gone from telling her how much he admired her to talking about his ex, and she scowled at him in confusion, but Goliath continued on.

"But you…you care about the welfare of people who are considered outcasts by your society, whose lives have hardly been noted while living and in passing. You genuinely care so much for others, and you protect out of a sense of rightness, even at your own personal cost," Goliath said passionately as he spoke of her. "I have seen you sacrifice your life, your time, your career countless times for others, for the clan…for me, and I cannot help but be in awe of you for it. You are incredible, Elisa. I used to wonder how it was possible that I fell in love with you, but honestly…how could I not?"

For a while Elisa did not know what to say in response to his words. He had rendered her speechless. She caressed his brow before she kissed him, her lips soft and tender against his.

"How did I ever get so lucky to deserve you?" she said overcome with love for him.

"The feeling is entirely mutual," Goliath replied earnestly as he took her hand in his.

"I've never had someone who understands me as well as you do," Elisa admitted. "Other men in my life usually bailed pretty quickly because they couldn't understand why I do what I do."

Goliath tilted his head to the side, and his ears flicked slightly. Elisa almost laughed endearingly at his reaction. He was clearly curious, but was struggling to resist asking prying questions.

"You've never spoken of any of your former suitors before," he stated.

"I suppose I haven't…" Elisa replied cautiously. "I haven't exactly had much luck with love."

"Have you…have you had many lovers?" he asked carefully.

Elisa's eyes darted to his, and she hesitated answering for a moment.

"I've had a few," she hedged. She'd only been with a handful of men in her life, not a lot by modern standards, but certainly more than was normal for a gargoyle. "Does that bother you?"

"No," Goliath said shaking his head. "No, of course not. We both have unique pasts and histories. You are with me now, and that is all that matters."

He gazed lovingly at her, and she couldn't help but look away as guilt nagged at her conscience. There was something that had happened over a year ago, long before they were together, but certainly after they had started to develop feelings for each other. She had almost even forgotten about the incident. They had never addressed what happened, and she felt it was dishonest not to clear the air about it.

"Do you recall the night after Xanatos's wedding?" Elisa asked tentatively.

She refrained from looking up at him, but she could feel his eyes intensely upon her.

"Aye," he said quietly. "I remember."

"There's…something I should tell you…about that night–"

"I know, Elisa. You don't owe me any kind of explanation," Goliath interjected gently.

Elisa twisted her hands together nervously in her lap, and she refused to look up at him.

"I hadn't been with anyone in so long, or since then…it was a stupid, drunken one-night-stand, and I don't know how you knew, but God, the look on your face…I felt like I had betrayed you," Elisa said remorsefully.

"I admit I felt no small amount of jealousy and resentment towards the man you had been with…it haunted me for a long time afterwards because of the feelings I was developing for you…but I understood. You are an attractive woman with needs and desires, and we were not together then. You did nothing to betray me, and you have nothing to feel sorry or ashamed about," Goliath said compassionately.

"The thing is…when I was with him…all I could think about was you. When he touched me…it was _your_ hands, _your_ lips I imagined, not his." Her voice quavered as she remembered the emotional turmoil she had felt that night. "I wanted so much for it to be you instead of him, but at the time…I thought I could never have you."

"You have me now, Elisa," Goliath said as he cupped her face and forced her to look up at him. He gazed lovingly into her eyes as his thumb tenderly stroked her cheek. Elisa saw nothing but love for her in his dark eyes. "I know I am not everything you wanted in a partner. I cannot be your husband or give you children, but all that I am…my heart, my soul, my body, all of me is yours," he vowed passionately, pouring his heart out to her.

"You are _everything_ that I want, Goliath. Never doubt that," Elisa said as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I love you so much."

"I have never loved anyone the way I love you," he groaned and kissed her.

They embraced tenderly, gently, full of love and sweetness, and then it ignited into a blaze of need and desire. Elisa moved on top of him, straddling him as he pulled her to him, and they came together in such a way that there was no doubt how he felt about her and she him.

They kissed voraciously, passionately, pausing only long enough for Elisa to pull her sweater off and toss it aside. Her breasts were clad in a sheer black bra that Goliath quickly divested her of. His hands skimmed up her torso until he filled them with her soft flesh. Elisa sighed as he touched her, and he trailed kisses down her neck and along her collarbone as her nipples stiffened beneath his palms. He grew harder at the sight and feel of her, but he paused as he saw the pale scar that ran down her sternum, and it momentarily stunned him. When she had been shot, the bullet had entered just below her ribcage on her right side, and there was a small round scar there, but the main scar was a six-inch long line where the surgeons, including Dr. Sato, the man responsible for saving his own life, had cracked open her chest to repair her heart and lungs of the bullet's damage.

But Elisa wasn't the only one who bore horrific scars. Hers were just visible. Goliath bore his on his heart and soul, from horrific loss and intimate betrayal. From wounds Elisa had helped him to heal from. Without her…he may have been lost to the grief that threatened to overwhelm him at times.

He kissed the old wound reverently, then he met her eyes as he turned his head slightly and kissed the soft slope of her breast, and then he continued to kiss her breasts and their dusky hued tips and reveled in their firm suppleness. Elisa sighed with pleasure and grasped the hair at the back of his head as he grazed his teeth along her flesh, biting her but carefully so as to not mar her beautifully soft skin. Her moans in response were melodic, and he hardened even more, almost painfully. His breathing rasped as he grew more and more excited, but he restrained himself. He needed to stay calm and take his time.

He shoved the coffee table roughly away from the sofa with his foot and carried her down to the floor. With one hand he lifted her hips off the ground and removed her pants with the other, while Elisa worked the clasp of his belt. He had her pants off at about the same time she pulled his woolen loincloth away and tossed it aside. The belt buckle hit the ground with a loud _thunk_ , and then her hands were upon him, and Goliath saw stars and thought he might come right then just at her touch alone.

"Wait!" he gasped.

Elisa stopped immediately, and her eyes shot up to his apprehensively.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just been…a very long time for me," Goliath admitted.

"Oh," Elisa said simply with understanding. So instead, she took his face in her hands and kissed him.

Goliath kissed her back slowly, sensually, in tempo with the movements of his hands as he drew them slowly up her legs. He started at her ankles, and glided his hands over her calves. He traced her knees and slowly moved up her thighs, then he hooked his thumbs in her underwear, a matching pair to the bra he had discarded earlier, and slowly pulled them down her legs and off her feet. His eyes roamed hungrily over her as he took her in fully for the first time. He admired her long, toned limbs and soft curves, her deep coppery skin, and her luscious hair that spilled behind her in a river of black. She was so lovely, and he thought he had never seen anything more beautiful or seductive than the look of love and desire she had on her face as she looked back at him.

He spread her thighs and draped one leg over his shoulder and then the other, he kissed the inside of her knee and worked his way up the inside of her thigh before he took her with his mouth. Elisa gasped a quiet little pant of pleasure as the moist heat of his mouth and his velvety tongue caressed her. She plowed her fingers into his mane, grabbing fists-full of his course hair as she moaned and arched her back from the pleasure he was giving her.

Was this actually happening? Elisa thought. After the years of denial and unfulfilled desire, he was touching her, caressing her, making love to her...

Jalapeña, he was going down on her!

She whispered his name over and over, and Goliath growled at the sound of his name spoken so passionately. The vibration in his chest, throat, and mouth only enhanced the stimulation, and Elisa's sighs and moans quickly turned to cries as her body tensed and bowed and then shattered as she climaxed.

Once she had come down from the heights of her orgasm, Goliath moved her legs from his shoulders and down to his sides. He kissed her stomach before he moved back over her, resting his weight on his forearms. Elisa clung to him as she caught her breath and pressed kisses to his brow and face before he captured her lips with his own in a passionate kiss.

"How did you learn to do that?" she asked breathlessly.

"We are not so different after all," he said smugly.

"I am going to put that thought out of my mind for now," Elisa said before thoughts of Goliath with his ex popped into her head.

Goliath laughed gently and kissed her again, effectively banishing any other thoughts from her mind. Elisa's hands wandered leisurely through his hair and down his back. When she stroked the base and struts of his wings, Goliath groaned and his hips flexed involuntarily against hers.

"You like this?" Elisa asked, her voice low and sultry.

"Yes," he practically purred as he pressed his brow to hers. He nuzzled her, breathing in the scent of her. His tail wrapped around one of her legs, gliding over her smooth muscles in a sinuous fashion.

She alternated the pressure she applied to his back, sometimes soft and feather-light and sometimes hard and raking. Goliath's purrs of pleasure were quickly turning into rasping growls. She opened her legs wider in invitation, but he did not enter her.

"Please, Goliath, I need you," Elisa begged, urging him with her hips.

He was painfully swollen, and he ached to drive himself within her, but he feared he would be too much for her.

"I don't know if I can," he groaned.

"Let's just see," Elisa reasoned. "If it doesn't work, we'll figure something else out."

Desire and reason went to war within him, and desire won out.

"If I am too much or I hurt you, you must tell me to stop. At any point. Do you understand?" he said gravely .

"Yes," Elisa agreed quickly.

He kissed her while he gripped himself and got into position, then he slowly pressed into her. The moment he parted her flesh for the first time, he nearly lost it, but Elisa gasped loudly and he stopped immediately.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, his voice strained.

"I'm alright. Please," Elisa begged. It hurt a little to have him inside her for the first time, but in a way that she knew she could become accustomed to if given enough time to adjust.

Goliath shook at his need to madly thrust within her, but he kept his composure, and he moved slowly and with extreme caution, and somehow impossibly they fit together, if barely.

When he was fully seated within her he paused and looked into her rich brown eyes and searched them for any trace of fear. He found none. Only love and need.

He took her hands in his, kissed each one, and then gently pinned them back against the floor by her head. He feared his control would slip if she touched him right now.

"I love you," he said tenderly, almost reverently.

"I love you, too," Elisa replied, her voice a desperate plea.

He pulled back and then thrust into her again, and Elisa cried out rapturously. He studied her face, looking for signs of discomfort. He did not know her in this way yet, and it was hard to tell the difference between an expression of ecstasy or pain on her face, but she did not tell him to stop.

"More," Elisa said through gritted teeth, and he obliged.

They moved together in rhythm, their eyes locked onto each other. They watched every reaction, every gasp and twinge of pleasure in each other. The entire world had fallen away and all that existed was them and the inferno created by their union. It was ecstasy and agony. They ached and burned together. The fires of passion deliciously building and consuming them whole. They both wanted it to end as much as they wanted it to go on forever as they hovered on the threshold of climax, that stretch of time just before release when the pleasure was so intense it almost hurt. Then Elisa closed her eyes, threw her head back and fell off the edge.

"Goliath–oh, fuck!" she screamed and her nails dug into the backs of the hands that held hers so tenderly, drawing blood. She shattered over and over, quaking in Goliath's arms as she rode out the waves of her second, more intense orgasm.

It was a rather vulgar term to call out, Goliath thought, but he understood the sentiment and the passion behind it as he was on the verge of his own violent release. A snarling groan rumbled up from his chest and he growled with each thrust, his movements became more urgent before his wings flared out behind him, and his eyes blazed phosphorus white. His roar split the night and drowned out Elisa's own cries of release, actually managing to rattle the window panes. He shuttered, utterly spent, and collapsed over her onto his forearms, keeping the bulk of his weight off of her. Elisa stroked the back of his head and his hair as he rested his head upon her breast.

They clung to each other as their breathing and heart rates slowed. Then Goliath withdrew from her and rolled onto his back taking her with him so that she rested on top of him. She sighed and curled into him as he lazily ran his fingers through her hair and down her back as they lay together in post coital bliss. She smelled of him, he noted. And her. And sex. A wonderfully heady aroma that filled his senses and warmed him to his core.

"I feel like I am in a dream," Elisa sighed.

"I know what you mean," Goliath replied. "I fantasized about you for so long that this hardly seems real," he admitted.

"This is way better than any dream, though," Elisa said as she took his hand and held it. His fingers entwined with hers.

"It certainly is," Goliath agreed. "It's real."

They were quiet for a time as they relaxed into a sleepy, almost dream-like state.

"I should have grabbed a towel," Elisa said eventually, her tone amused by the stickiness between them.

"Hmm," was all Goliath said in response, completely unbothered by their current condition.

Elisa looked at him and then kissed him slowly, languorously.

"Can I interest you in a shower?" she offered.

A wicked grin slowly spread across Goliath's face.


	11. The Morning After

**December 26, 1996  
Elisa's Loft**

Elisa woke up the next day feeling exhilarated. Sore, but more energized than she had felt in a while. It was early afternoon, and she was amazed that she had slept for nearly a full eight hours. She hadn't slept that long in weeks!

She hopped out of bed, took a quick shower, and got dressed.

On her way to the kitchen, she passed Goliath's form kneeling unobtrusively away from the windows in a corner of her living room. He was in his thinkers pose, and for the millionth time, she wondered if Rodin had spent time in Scotland. She kissed Goliath's stone cheek and then she went to her kitchen and made a pot of coffee, and as it percolated, she thought about her lover.

Or rather…her mate.

She was his mate now.

His _mate_.

She rolled the word around her head for a while, let it sit and marinate. She hadn't really processed it until now. She had been a bit _busy_ last night to really let it sink in.

It had been incredibly romantic and wonderful, but now in the harsh light of day she was almost surprised to find she felt so…

Happy.

Content.

Feelings she had felt last night and that hadn't disappeared with the first light of morning.

All the things she had wanted to feel in other relationships but never did.

She thought she should feel panicked. This was all too fast, too soon.

Wasn't it?

But she didn't regret it. Not at all.

And judging by the look frozen on his face, Goliath felt the same way. Instead of his normal brooding countenance, he had a rather content almost smug look on his face. She supposed he had earned it. He seemed to take delight in finding every way that made her scream out his name in ecstasy…plus a few new ones.

Her life had taken a very satisfying, but strange turn. It certainly wasn't how she had imagined it would turn out, but did anybody's?

She only wished her family understood. At least her mother and sister were ok with it. Maybe her brother and father would come around eventually.

Maybe.

She looked at the time. If she was quick, she could be to Rikers and the Labyrinth and back here before sunset when Goliath would awaken. She poured coffee into a thermos, and dashed out the door.

* * *

Elisa wasn't sure if Dracon would speak to her considering she and the gargoyles had been the ones to put his ass behind bars, but to her surprise, he sat down and picked up the phone on the other side of the visitation booth.

"Hey there, Sugar," he said coolly in his raspy voice.

"Blue looks good on you, Tony," Elisa retaliated.

"It would look even better on you. I get conjugal visits here, ya know," he insinuated.

Elisa didn't give him the pleasure of getting a reaction out of her and totally ignored his come on.

"We're looking for your friend, Pal Joey."

"That bastard?" Dracon laughed harshly.

"Not so much a friend then."

"He got himself a nice little plea bargain after we got tossed in here. He turned rat and gave up all the dirt he had on me." Dracon spat.

"You lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas, Dracon," Elisa gloated. "We're looking for him, but he's hiding out. Do you have any idea where he could be?"

"Why are you looking for him?" Dracon asked suspiciously.

"We suspect him of murder, sex trafficking, and drug trafficking. Know anything about that?"

Dracon cackled.

"Fuck, he's such an idiot!" he said shaking his head, then he paused and observed her for a moment as if he were debating with himself.

"I've got a safe house. Several actually, but I'll tell you only this one. If he hasn't shown up, he will. Keep an eye on it."

Elisa wrote down the address.

"And, Sugar…when you and your _friends_ nail him, because I know you will, tell him I said payback's a bitch," then he hung up the phone and walked away.

* * *

After the surprisingly helpful conversation with Dracon at Rikers, Elisa swung by the Labyrinth to speak with Nita. Claw was thankfully the one on watch, and her brother was nowhere to be seen, which was fine by her. She did not want a confrontation with him right now.

She greeted Claw who waved her in, and she proceeded to make her way to Nita's alcove, a folder with several photos pertaining to the case in hand.

Nita's friend Julia was reluctant to allow Elisa to visit because she was feeding Mateo, but Elisa didn't mind, and Nita didn't either. Elisa had witnessed Mateo come into the world which bonded the women to an extent. At the very least, neither of them felt shame or discomfort about something as innocent as a baby being breastfed. Julia's agitation towards Elisa seemed unprecedented and strange to her, though, and she made a mental note to look into it later. Right now, she had bigger questions to ask.

After exchanging pleasantries, Elisa jumped right into it.

"So, I met PJ," Elisa said, dropping the proverbial bomb.

Nita's eyes went wide with shock.

"You did? Did you arrest him?" she asked hopefully.

"No, tried to, though. He's a slippery bastard."

Nita's shoulders slumped dejectedly and she nodded.

"Actually, I've encountered him before. Have you ever heard the name Pal Joey?" Elisa asked.

Nita furrowed her brow and shook her head.

"Not that I can think of."

Elisa showed her the photo of Pal Joey's most recent mugshot.

"That's him!" Nita said astonished. "That's PJ!"

"He's part of a bigger crime syndicate that I busted in August. He was supposed to be serving time in Rikers, but he cut a deal with the DA that I wasn't aware of. Now that we know who he is, we can start tracking him down, but I still don't have hard evidence that he is responsible for the deaths of at least four women."

Nita was quiet as she looked down at her baby's face.

"I've been thinking…" she said hesitantly. "I don't want to live in fear for all of Mateo's life. His father will always look for us. Eventually he'll find us. Even down here."

"What do you want to do then?" Elisa asked.

"I told you before that I ran when I found out I was pregnant. That's not entirely true. I was too nervous to run then…I left a few months later…when I saw him kill somebody."

"You actually saw him kill someone?"

Nita nodded reluctantly.

"There were five of us who worked for him at the time. He disappeared for a while and then showed up again a month later. That must have been when he was in prison. Everyone had kind of gotten used to him bein' gone. We didn't have to deal drugs anymore, and our money stayed in our own pockets instead of goin' into his."

Mateo made a soft cooing sound as he ate that momentarily distracted Nita.

"When he showed up again, he was mad. He accused us of not workin' and stealin' from him. Olivia got up in his face about it. She threatened to leave, so he hit her. He hit her really hard. She fell back and hit her head on a table. When she didn't get back up, PJ started to panic. I didn't stick around to see what happened after that. That's when I ran."

"When did this happen?"

"September."

When the first body had been found.

"Nita, you said her name was Olivia. Was her last name Jefferson?"

Nita shrugged.

"I just knew her first name."

Elisa pulled out one of the photos in her case file and showed it to Nita.

"Is this her?"

"Yeah," Nita said mournfully. "That's her."

"The M.E.'s report stated that she died of an overdose, not brain trauma," Elisa thought aloud. "Nita. Thank you. You've been a huge help!"

"I have?"

Elisa glanced at her watch, she had just enough time to swing back by her place before she needed to get to work.

"Definitely. I've gotta run, but I'll check on you guys soon, alright?"

"Okay, Elisa," Nita shrugged indifferently.

Nita was grateful for Elisa and all she had done to help her, but she wasn't holding out hope for justice for her and the other women.

Life had taught her not to.

She turned back to her baby and hummed quietly to herself as she rocked him gently. As she did, she failed to notice the look of anger and disdain on Julia's face.

* * *

The sun was just setting when Elisa walked through her apartment door. She heard the telltale sounds of stone cracking, and then Goliath erupted from his sleep with a loud roar.

"Sleep well?" she asked with a smug grin.

"Very," Goliath growled as he grabbed Elisa around her waist and pulled her in and kissed her deeply. When his hands started moving sensually up and down her back, she realized she needed to put on the breaks.

"Hey, now! As much as I'd like to, I've only got time for a quick bite to eat before I head to work!" Elisa said with amusement.

"Hmm, I suppose it would be irresponsible of me to distract you from your duties," he said thoughtfully, and then he kissed her again, and as he did, all reason began to slip away from both of them.

"I really should go," Elisa said against his mouth.

"Of course," Goliath growled, but she kept kissing him, and the insatiable need she had for him was getting harder to deny. Then he started to kiss her neck the way she liked as his hand slipped under her shirt and bra, and he cupped her bare breast before he drew circles with his thumb over her nipple.

"You…you probably need to…need to get back… to the others," Elisa gasped.

"They can wait a little longer," Goliath whispered into her ear before he lightly bit her earlobe.

"Oh, fuck it…I'll grab something to eat on the way there!" she breathed and quickly undid his belt.

He had her naked and on her back before she knew it. He wasted little time, since she was already so wet for him, and entered her swiftly. His hand slipped between where their bodies were joined, and he caressed her, applying pressure to just the right spot with this thumb, while they moved together in a furiously frantic pace.

Their love making was a whirlwind, but no less satisfying for it.

"I should take a quick shower," Elisa said reluctantly as she extracted herself from Goliath's arms once they had finished.

He gave her a look that read he was not done with her, if he could have his way.

"I should join you. Although I do not mind smelling like you the rest of the night, the others might notice."

"Ok, but you have to promise me you will keep your hands to yourself," Elisa instructed.

As it turned out, Elisa was the one who couldn't keep her hands to herself, and she was only a little late for work.

* * *

After clocking in at work, and checking on a few things at the precinct, Elisa swung by Matt's place to fill him in on the conversations she'd had with Dracon and Nita, and although he hadn't fully healed, he was anxious to get back to work with her. Their first stop was the county morgue where they spoke with Dr. Laghari again.

"What can I help you two with?" the M.E. asked.

"I need you to look into something for us," Elisa asked.

"What is it?"

"We need to see the tox screen on Olivia Jefferson. Her body was found in the East River on September 12th. She OD'd—allegedly."

Dr. Laghari went to her computer and pulled up the case file.

"Hmm, this is odd…there does not appear to be a tox screen."

"What?" Matt said incredulously.

"No tox screen was performed," Dr. Laghari repeated. "This is highly unusual."

"You're kidding. Her death was ruled a heroin overdose. How can they rule that without a tox screen?" Elisa asked. Her confusion and outrage apparent in her tone.

"It shouldn't have been. There is a single puncture wound in her arm, but…" she trailed off as she continued to read.

"Is there anything to suggest she had head trauma?" Elisa asked.

"There is a note about a bruise to her face and a large contusion to the back of her head...significant damage to the brain stem…" Dr. Laghari's brow furrowed as she read the notes and looked at the photographs. "A traumatic brain injury like this might have been enough to kill her, but the note said it was postmortem, likely sustained in the river…good Lord, what idiot did this autopsy?" she muttered angrily. "Dr. Kowalski. Figures. He's always cutting corners."

"So, Olivia Jefferson died of an overdose despite significant head trauma and no tox screen?" Matt clarified.

"This is an incredible cock up, detectives," Dr. Laghari said angrily. "This is… I have to report this."

"What happened to Olivia's remains? Was she ever claimed?" Elisa asked.

"No, it looks like the state had her buried on Hart Island."

Elisa's heart sunk. Hart Island was where the unknown and unwanted were laid to rest, buried in simple pine boxes, and stacked on top or underneath other boxes, with a number instead of a name.

"It's a longshot, but maybe we can get a warrant to have her exhumed," Matt suggested.

"If so, you can rest assured that I will be the one to perform a second autopsy. Not Dr. Kowalski," Dr. Laghari said indignantly.

Elisa nodded gratefully.

"Well, it looks like we all have our work cut out for us," Matt said.

"Good luck, detectives."

"Same to you, Doc," Elisa replied.

As they walked back out to Elisa's car, Matt watched her with concern.

"Hey, Elisa, are you alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Elisa asked.

"I didn't notice earlier, but you're limping a little. I guess I'm not the only one who got roughed up by Pal Joey and his goon, huh?"

"What? Oh, yeah…must have pulled something when I wiped the ground with his ass," Elisa said as she tried to walk more normally. Truth was, after having sex with Goliath all last night and twice again this evening before work, she felt like she had been horseback riding all day.

"I just need to take some ibuprofen, and I'll be fine," she said and tried to hide the blush that had creeped up her neck and face.

* * *

When Goliath returned to the castle, the others were waiting for him.

"And where were you, young man?" Brooklyn said with his hands on his hips. "We were up half the night worried sick about you!"

Goliath gave his second a long look.

"I was with Elisa," he said simply. "As you were well aware."

The trio shared a knowing glance.

"So, how is she?" Brooklyn asked.

"She's well," Goliath replied, confused by his concern, and then he recalled the reason he had gone to Elisa's place the night before. "She informed her family of our relationship last night, and they were quite vocal about their disapproval which upset her. I comforted her, and she is doing better tonight."

Brooklyn tried and failed to hide the grin on his beak.

"Yeah, I bet you did," he said slyly under his breath.

Goliath scowled at his second who was nonplussed by the look he was giving him.

"The Mazas don't approve?" Angela asked.

"It is a 50/50 split," Goliath said as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the battlement.

"Lemme guess, Talon doesn't approve," Broadway said. "I knew he still has a chip on his shoulder towards you."

Goliath sighed heavily.

"No, he does not. Nor does her father."

"Ouch," Brooklyn responded.

"At least she has us. We'll always be her family," Angela said brightly.

Goliath nodded and smiled at the small band of gargoyles..

"Aye. She'll always have us."


	12. Restore Amends

**January 2, 1997**   
**5:00 p.m.**   
**Elisa's Loft**

Goliath hit the roof of Elisa's apartment building so hard, he left claw marks. It had been a week since they had been alone together, and to say he was looking forward to spending time with her tonight was an understatement. Upon waking, he had glided there as quickly as the wind and his wings could carry him, and his less than graceful landing failed to hide his excitement.

Elisa and Matt had spent many long nights watching Dracon's safe house in hopes that Pal Joey would show up. Her captain finally forced the pair to take a break while other officers took over the watch for the night, and for added backup, Goliath instructed Brooklyn, Broadway, and Angela to keep an eye on the place as well.

Goliath peered through the windows and watched his love as she moved about her kitchen. She was moving in time with music that was playing, something upbeat and unfamiliar to him. She wore a black dress that clung tightly to every curve and fell to mid-thigh, exposing a whole lot of long, lean leg. Two thin straps made the pretense of holding the garment up, but the constrictive nature of the dress betrayed the superfluous need of those two small strips of fabric, and the neckline was so low cut that if she made the wrong move, her full breasts could spill right out of it, a challenge Goliath would happily undertake. His mouth practically watered at the sight of her. He watched her for a few moments, enjoying the view of her moving confidently about her kitchen, vibrant and happy and beautiful, and then he eventually pushed the window open and climbed in.

"Hey," Elisa said warmly as he approached her. She was busy slicing vegetables for a salad. He noticed a bottle of wine that had been opened and poured into two glasses to allow the dark red liquid to breathe.

"Good evening," Goliath returned her greeting as he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He buried his face in her hair and neck and inhaled her scent. She smelled warm and inviting, the perfect thing on a cold night.

"You just woke up so I imagine you're a little hungry," Elisa said, amused by his behavior.

"Yes," Goliath said in a low warm voice that left her with the distinct impression that he did not mean food. They were new lovers, and Goliath definitely had one thing on his mind.

"You look good enough to eat," he purred as he lightly nipped her neck, confirming her suspicions.

"I thought it would be nice to dress up a bit," Elisa replied.

"You look lovely, but you did not have to go to such lengths on my account. I am pleased with you just the way you are. You could wear a burlap sack, and I would not mind."

"I would. That sounds itchy," Elisa said wrinkling up her nose. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you don't care what I'm wearing because you're more interested in getting me out of it."

Goliath laughed heartily, and Elisa smiled, warmed by his relaxed mood.

"You have me there," he replied as he brushed her hair aside, his talons gently caressed her skin as he exposed the back of her neck. She sighed and tipped her head to the side as Goliath pressed his lips to her neck and shoulder. She reached back and caressed the back of his head. A low purring growl rumbled in Goliath's chest and Elisa felt it through her torso. His hand moved from off her hip and slid down her thigh only to move slowly back up underneath the hem of her dress.

He expected to meet the cloth barrier of her underwear, but his hand met only warm flesh.

"Jalapeña…you're not—" Goliath breathed.

Elisa glanced over her shoulder up at him.

"No," she said with a grin. "I'm not."

"By the dragon…you're already so wet," he groaned as he caressed her. The pads of his fingers slipped over her, skillfully stimulating the swollen bud of nerves between her thighs.

"I've been thinking about you all day," Elisa sighed as she tipped her head back against him and closed her eyes. He bent his head low and kissed her, and she moaned against his lips. His kiss was hard, hungry, possessive.

They both startled at the sound of a knock at the door.

"What the hell?" Elisa cursed as they looked at each other.

Elisa stepped away from Goliath, and as she straightened her dress, he folded his wings around himself like a cape to hide his arousal and discretely sucked the taste of her off his fingers. Then Elisa moved to her front door and looked through the peephole.

"It's my dad," she whispered back to Goliath, her voice panicked. "I have no idea why he's here!"

"Do you want me to leave?" Goliath whispered back.

"No. I don't. This is my home— _our_ home," Elisa said more confidently. She moved to open her door and then remembered her attire. "Shit! He can't see me like this!"

She dashed to her bedroom and in a few moments returned wearing a more conservative sweater and jeans, much to Goliath's disappointment. She hit a button on her stereo system, silencing the music it had been playing, then she straightened her hair and opened the door.

"Dad. What are you doing here?" she asked a little breathlessly.

Peter Maza looked positively dejected. He held out the white scarf she had left at her parents' house in her hurry to leave on Christmas.

"You left this…but I was also hoping we could talk?"

"Thank you," Elisa said as she took her scarf. "Come on in, but just so you know, I'm not alone."

She opened the door wide as Goliath stepped out of the kitchen and into direct line of sight.

"Peter," he said with a respectful tip of his head. He would have extended his hand to him, if it weren't for the fact that he had just been touching the man's daughter rather intimately with that same hand just moments ago.

"Goliath," Peter replied coolly.

He took in the meal preparation and the wine and realized he'd interrupted a romantic evening. His face paled slightly.

"I see I should have called first," he said. "I won't take up much of your time then, so I'll get right to it…" he sighed and his shoulders slumped regretfully. "I hate how things are between us right now, Elisa. I left my father's house years ago on bad terms, and we stayed on bad terms for the rest of his life. We never had the chance to reconcile because of my stubbornness, and I don't want that for us."

"I don't want that, either, Dad," Elisa said surprised and encouraged by his words. She looked to Goliath and then back at her father. "We didn't expect you to be thrilled that Goliath and I are together, but…we hoped we wouldn't be ostracized for it."

"Never, Elisa…that would never happen. I may raise my concerns about your relationship because I'm really uncomfortable with it, but I'm not going to disown you. There's _nothing_ you could do that would make me do that. Our family is, oh boy, it's unique that's for damn sure, but from what you have said, and from what your mother has told me…this relationship of yours is not some passing infatuation."

"It is certainly not," Goliath said firmly. "I know our relationship came as an unexpected and unwelcome shock to you. I wish things were different, but I cannot help nor will I apologize for who I am. I am only sorry that I was not there with Elisa when she told you. I would have, if I had known that was her plan."

"We've been over this before, Goliath. I wasn't planning on telling everyone, it just came out," Elisa said defensively.

"I realize," Goliath said affectionately. Then he turned back to Peter.

"I want you to know that I only have the utmost respect for you and Diane."

Peter nodded.

"Thank you. I…we respect you as well," Peter acquiesced. "I don't need to tell you what will happen if you treat my daughter poorly, right?"

"No, I am well aware of what Elisa would do to me if I misused her," Goliath said with a wry grin. Elisa smirked back at him.

"Good," Peter said with a short laugh and nod of his head.

"But you should have no fear of that ever occurring, Peter. I love Elisa, and I would rather tear my own wings out than cause her any kind of harm or heartache."

Elisa slipped her arm around his and looked up at him lovingly. He put his hand over hers and smiled down upon her.

"You know what…I think I actually believe you," Peter said sincerely. "Well, it's late. I should get home and let you two get back to…whatever it is young couples do together…" he finished awkwardly.

"Thank you for coming by, Dad. I really appreciate it," Elisa said as she walked her father to the door.

"You can partially thank your mother. She threatened to have me sleep on the sofa until I smoothed things over with you," he said and laughed. "It's going to take some time for me to get used to this, you know that right?"

"I know. It's ok," Elisa replied, her voice a touch melancholy. She knew revealing her relationship with Goliath to her family would not go over perfectly, but it was still a little disappointing that they could not see in him what she saw.

Peter nodded.

"We'll see you soon, right?" Peter asked hopefully. "And…uh, you as well, Goliath."

Elisa smiled and nodded.

"We'll be there at the next Sunday family dinner…as long as it's after dark," Elisa said with a laugh.

"Good." Peter smiled.

"I love you, Dad," Elisa said as she held her door open to her father.

Peter chucked her under the chin, the way he used to when she was younger.

"Love ya, too, kid," he said, and then he left.

Elisa shut the door gently behind her father.

"Well…that was unexpected," she said still in shock over her father's act of diplomacy.

"Indeed. Your father is a good man, Elisa."

"He is," Elisa agreed. "Do you think my brother will come around, too?" she said hopefully.

"I don't know. That's entirely up to him," Goliath said gently.

Elisa sighed, and then she looked up at him, her eyes were dark and glinted with mischievous intent.

"So…should I…slip back into that dress again?"

"The night is young…it would be a shame for it to go to waste," Goliath grinned back at her.


	13. Stakeout Confessional

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter catches up to the events of Gargoyles: Clan Building #12 Phoenix. Some of the events and dialogue were taken from the comic, but most of this is my own work.

**January 7, 1997**   
**10:14 p.m.  
Washington Heights  
**

Elisa rubbed her temples in an attempt to rid herself of the headache that had formed. She and Matt were staked out in a nondescript car in line of sight to Dracon's safe house, a brownstone in Washington Heights.

She sank into her seat and tried to focus on watching the street, but her mind began to wander and drift towards the one her thoughts always tended to go to.

Goliath.

"Hey, Elisa."

"Huh?" she said sliding back to reality.

Matt chuckled.

"Where were _you_? I had to say your name three times before you responded," he pointed out.

"Sorry," Elisa apologized sheepishly.

"God, I thought when you two finally—" Matt made a suggestive hand gesture. "you'd be less distracted, but I think it's only made it worse."

Elisa rolled her eyes and threw an almond from her snack mix at him.

"Stakeouts are boring. Forgive me if I can't help but think of more pleasant things than being trapped in a car with you," Elisa snarked. "By the way…how did you know?"

"About what?"

"That he and I were…you know."

Matt snorted.

"The other day when I spilled coffee all over your desk, you didn't bite my head off when just a few weeks ago, you ripped into me because I was 'chewing too loudly.'"

"You do chew too loudly," Elisa pointed out.

"My point is, you've been happier in general. More content. Satisfied."

"Getting laid after a long drought will do that," Elisa quipped.

"True, but, I think it's more than just that. You guys are…hell, if I could find someone who loved me half as much as you guys love each other, I'd be over the moon."

Movement out the windshield caught Elisa's eye, but it was just a stray plastic grocery bag being tossed around in a light breeze.

"You're fairly young and handsome. I'm sure you'll find somebody," she said off-handedly to her partner as she watched the bag drift around until it got stuck on a snowbank.

"It's…harder for someone like me," Matt said quietly.

"Oh, come on. Someone's gotta have a thing for redheads," Elisa teased.

Matt didn't answer, he just looked through his binoculars out the windshield. The tone of their conversation had suddenly gone from jovial to serious, and she realized that he had been trying to tell her something really important. Elisa immediately felt terrible for teasing him.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Matt. It's ok. You can tell me," Elisa said gently as she put her hand on his arm.

Matt glanced at her, but he didn't turn his face to look at her directly. "I'm gay, Elisa," he said quietly.

Elisa's face softened, and she didn't take her hand off of him.

"Do you think I got bounced from the bureau solely because I was obsessed with exposing the Illuminati? That was just their excuse to get rid of me." he continued, his tone bitter. "I'm pretty certain now that the Illuminati wanted me gone, so they leaked very private information about me to my superiors, and the next thing I knew...I was forced into resigning for 'unbecoming obsessive behavior'."

"I…Matt, why didn't you tell me before? You could have, you know."

"Why didn't you tell me about Goliath?"

"Fair point," Elisa said. She sighed. "What a pair we make, huh?"

Matt chuckled softly.

"A lot of people would probably think we're both depraved if they knew who we preferred to sleep with," he said.

"Maybe someday that will change. Who knows. But any guy would be lucky to have you. I know I'm lucky to have you as my partner," Elisa said tenderly.

Matt smiled affectionately at her.

"Thanks."

"Does the Captain know?"

"Yeah, she knows all of the reasons why I got kicked out of the FBI, but I don't think anyone else in the precinct knows, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Elisa closed her mouth and pretended to lock it with an imaginary key and throw it away.

 _"Attention all units,"_ the radio squawked. _"Be on the lookout for three wanted fugitives: Jackal, Hyena, and Wolf. They are to be considered armed and dangerous."_

The two looked at each other astonished.

"Weren't Hyena and Wolf in Rikers?" Matt said.

"Yeah. Jackal must have sprung them," Elisa replied angrily.

"Well, there goes a quiet night," Matt groaned.

"We should let the clan know."

Matt turned on the car and sped off towards the Eyrie building.

Thirty minutes later, a car pulled up in front of Dracon's safe house. A dark figure got out of the vehicle, and then it drove away as the figure entered the darkened building.

* * *

"Come on, come on, come on," Elisa muttered as the elevator made its ascent up to the castle. It was only a five-minute ride, but it felt like forever. Especially since she was in a hurry. After they received the first call from dispatch that the Pack was on the lamb, a second one came in that they had been spotted in Times Square just as they arrived at the Eyrie Building. Matt dropped Elisa off and went on ahead knowing she would catch a flight with the gargoyles.

The elevator finally came to a stop, and she practically danced from foot to foot as she waited for the doors to open. She heard voices and knew the clan was assembled in the Great Hall. When the elevator pinged, announcing its arrival, she threw herself through the doors, and launched into her exclamation right before an unexpected sight stopped her in her tracks.

"Goliath! We've got trouble! The pack—whoa…"

For a moment, Elisa thought she was hallucinating. The Great Hall was filled with the faces of those who had been absent for some time, as well as a few new faces. Hudson and Lexington had returned along with Coldstone, which likely meant the golden robot standing next to him was his mate, Coldfire, whom she had only heard about and had not met. Did that mean they had finally captured their brother, Coldsteel? There were also four new gargoyles. No…five! The blue beaked female who looked Ishimuran had what looked like an egg strapped to her back. But wait…one of them looked familiar...was that _Brooklyn_?! Why was he wearing an eyepatch? And why did he look so _old_?!

_What the hell was going on?!_

"Goliath?" she uttered his name confused and overwhelmed as she looked to him for answers.

"Explanations may wait. You spoke of trouble? Of the pack?" he responded.

"Right. Right. Jackal busted Wolf and Hyena out of Rikers. They're throwing a party in Times Square," Elisa said as she cast off her shock and focused on the problem at hand.

"Then perhaps the clan—the entire clan—should throw a little party of its own…" Goliath replied with a sneer.

The clan quickly rallied and organized and were headed out to confront the Pack in a matter of moments.

"Are you coming with me or will you meet us there?" Goliath asked her, his hand held out to her in question but also invitation. Elisa moved swiftly, practically leaping into his arms.

"Always with you," Elisa said as Goliath held her to him tightly for a brief second. Then he leapt off the castle. Elisa felt her stomach drop as they free fell for a few seconds before Goliath's wings caught an updraft. She clung to him as she felt the jerk and snap of his wings catching the bitter cold air. Goliath smiled to himself. He always liked that part, when she pressed herself to him and held on tight. Before they were together, he would sustain himself on these brief moments when her body was pressed closely to his.

"The Pack'll never know what hit 'em!" Lexington shouted excitedly into the wind. Elisa smiled knowing full well, he was right. The Pack was about to have their asses handed to them.

* * *

When they arrived on the scene, Elisa immediately assessed the situation. She could already see the panic below. There were police barricades already set up, and people had fled to a safer distance. Goliath set her down in the alley near where Matt and the officers from the 23rd were located, then he and the others retreated to strategize their attack.

Elisa hated waiting by the sidelines, but she wouldn't be able to join the clan in an official capacity considering the highly public situation.

"I brought backup," Elisa said quietly to Matt as she walked up behind him.

The tall redhead nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Jesus! Elisa you scared the shit out of me!"

"What's the plan?" Elisa said ignoring his protest.

"Well, since you brought in the cavalry, I think we should wait and see," Matt sighed as he ran a hand through his carefully coifed hair, mussing it up.

They heard shouting and turned their attention to Jackal as he lifted a car off the ground and held it directly overhead, his attention focused on the line of cops with their guns drawn and ready.

Shots fired, but they bounced ineffectively against his cybernetic armor.

"Get back!" Elisa shouted at the officers, panic and fear setting in as she saw the maniacal grin spread across Jackal's face just as he set to throw the car into the line of officers.

A dark blur swooped in and tackled Jackal, forcing him to drop the car back onto the street with a loud crunch of metal before he had the chance to hurl it into the crowd.

Goliath had made his move.

Elisa edged closer to the barricades as she watched the other gargoyles join the fight. The clan had separated and tag teamed the three Pack members. There were four gargoyles to every Pack member. The odds were definitely in their favor.

Her eyes darted around, bouncing from fight to fight. It was almost dizzying to keep track.

Goliath was fighting Jackal, while Broadway and Angela had joined him. Hudson, Lexington, and Bronx were on Hyena, and Brooklyn and the new gargoyles were on Wolf. It looked like things would be wrapped up quickly, but then Hyena tucked into a ball and rolled away from the three fighting her, eluding them as her sights set on a new, more vulnerable target.

"Fresh meat!" Hyena cackled gleefully as she popped up behind the new female with blue skin. She had her back turned, and Hyena was going straight for her and the egg strapped securely to her back.

"No!" Elisa shouted. She didn't know the gargoyle's name to warn her. She had to act fast. Ignoring shouts to stop, she ran past the barricades and towards the foreign gargoyle.

All she could think about was the loss of a child, a precious young life to anyone but especially the gargoyles, and she ran at full speed and shoved the female out of the way just in the nick of time to save the unhatched gargoyle and its mother.

"Elisa! Look out!" she heard Matt cry.

She turned at the sound just as Hyena's claws came down swiftly across her torso and abdomen. She cried out and hit the ground hard. The cyborg's deranged laughter peeled into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt being gay is not canonical, at least, Mr. Weisman has never stated anything about his sexuality. Some other fanfic writers have written his character as gay, and I totally ship it.


	14. Out of the Frying Pan

**January 7, 1997  
11:25 p.m.  
Times Square**

"ELISA!" Goliath roared, his voice agonized as he watched her fall.

"OFFICER DOWN! OFFICER DOWN!" Matt shouted.

Coldstone and Coldfire set upon Hyena as Hudson and Lexington caught up.

"Finally, some _real_ competition," she snarled as the four gargoyles engaged her.

Jackal used Goliath's distraction to his advantage. After throwing Broadway and Angela away from him with his extendable arms, he struck out at the large gargoyle. Goliath turned his attention back just in time as Jackal spun and struck Goliath in the side of his head with a vicious kick. The gargoyle stumbled back, his vision going dark momentarily from the blow. Then Jackal tackled him, pinning his limbs painfully to the ground. Goliath growled as a laser canon popped up out of his forearm and pointed at his face.

"Looks like my sister carved up your little friend," Jackal taunted. "Finally, that bitch cop got what she deserved."

Goliath roared in frustration, anger, and heartache. His eyes blazed with bloodlust, and he wrapped his tail around Jackal's arm and pulled. Jackal's shot went wide, and instead of shooting him in the face, he cut a swath into the asphalt next to his head. When he pulled his arm, Jackal fell forward slightly and Goliath seized the opportunity to slam his forehead into Jackal's face. The cyborg cried out in pain and reeled back, blood gushing from his ruined nose. Goliath then grabbed his arms and used his massive strength to rip his cybernetic arms from their sockets. He threw them out of reach, and then he hit him back square across the jaw, knocking him out before Angela and Broadway came to his aid. Jackal was down on the ground as Broadway used his full weight to pin him down.

"We need something to restrain him with before he comes to!" Broadway shouted.

Goliath ripped off the bumper of an older car, and with a bit of effort, twisted it around Jackal.

"That should hold him for the time being," he growled, and then he ran for Elisa.

Goliath scrambled across the road and over an abandoned taxi car to where Elisa lay on the ground. She was gasping for breath and struggling to sit up when he found her. He fell to his knees beside her.

"Hold still! You'll only make it worse!" Goliath scolded her, his voice full of fear and panic as he pulled her shredded jacket open to examine the extent of the damage.

"Hey, Goliath, it's ok! I'm ok!" Elisa reassured him.

He thought he would find a mess of blood, shredded skin, and muscle, but his hands only found hard armor of some kind that she wore over her shirt.

"What–?"

"Kevlar. It's bulletproof, and mostly bladeproof. Hyena left some pretty deep grooves in this thing, though, and my jacket is ruined now," she said mournfully.

"But you are unharmed?" Goliath said with tender amazement as he cupped her cheek, his other hand still lay against her breast.

Elisa nodded and put her hand over his reassuringly.

"She knocked the wind out of me, but I'm ok."

Goliath pressed his brow to hers in relief.

The blue beaked female gargoyle carrying the egg approached them.

"Elisa-san! You are alright!" she said with relief.

"I'm fine. How about you and the little one?" Elisa replied.

"We live to fight another day. Thanks to you," she said with a grateful smile and a slight bow.

Elisa smiled back warmly. By her dress and accent, she looked like one of the Ishimuran clan in Japan, but she didn't recall meeting her when they were there last year.

"We have not been properly introduced yet. I am Katana. Brooklyn's mate," she said with another elegant little bow.

"Brooklyn's _mate_?!"

Katana nodded, an amused and slightly sad smile upon her features.

A blue skinned gangly young gargoyle ran up to the group. He looked like Katana, but there was something about his smile that made her think immediately of Brooklyn. The russet hued gargoyle himself followed shortly behind.

"This one yours?" Elisa said gesturing towards the adolescent gargoyle.

Brooklyn grinned proudly at her, and she saw the young male gargoyle she had known before. His aged and haggard appearance was incredibly jarring.

"This is Nashville," he said by way of introduction as he put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"You can call me Gnash!" the young male said brightly.

"It's nice to meet you, Gnash," Elisa said with a smile for the young gargoyle, and then she turned back to his father. "Man, you've been pretty busy since I last saw you."

"You would not believe the stories…" Brooklyn said with a grin.

Goliath gave her a sympathetic smile. He was still reeling from all of the changes this night had brought.

"I look forward to being filled in on…all of that, but I need to get back to work and help clean up this gigantic mess." At her words she noticed Matt and a pair of EMTs making their way over.

"The Pack is subdued and ready to be taken into custody. We should go," Goliath stated.

"I'll try to catch you guys back at the castle," Elisa replied.

"I will be glad to see you whenever I can. I am just relieved that you are unharmed."

Elisa smiled reassuringly at Goliath. He wanted to take her in his arms, to hold her, and touch her, and reassure himself that she was alive and whole and had escaped death one more night, but he was conscious of all of the eyes on them. They were in a very public place. He started to walk away, but he couldn't help but cast one last longing look over his shoulder at her before slipping away with the rest of the clan.

"Elisa! For Christ's sake, are you alright?" Matt asked as he approached her. His breathing was rough from jogging over.

"I'm fine, Matt."

"Elisa?" a vaguely familiar voice that tickled the edges of her memory said.

She looked over to the EMT who was kneeling down next to her, and her eyes grew wide with shock.

"Isaac?!" Elisa exclaimed with horrified recognition.

That dimpled smile spread across his face.

"I wondered if I'd ever run into you again."

* * *

Elisa removed her ruined jacket and unstrapped her Kevlar vest. She winced slightly as she moved. She may not have been seriously wounded, but Hyena had knocked her around a bit, and she was fairly sure she had a few bruised ribs. Once they had assessed that Elisa was not gravely injured, Matt and the other EMT went off to check on another injured officer while Isaac stayed back to help clean and dress a cut she had sustained on her arm. Hyena's claws were so sharp, she hadn't realized she'd been cut until Isaac pointed It out.

Isaac, the man she had a one-night-stand with over a year ago, got out his kit and started pulling out gauze and disinfectant.

"Sooo…" he started to say.

"Yeah…" Elisa replied. "This is super weird, huh?"

Isaac laughed as he irrigated the wound and then applied a disinfectant.

"That was, uh, pretty impressive. What you did back there. Saving that gargoyle."

"I was just doing my job," Elisa said, her tone neutral.

"Nah. I don't think that's why. You're good people. I knew that the moment I met you."

Elisa blinked at him. Was he a gargoyle sympathizer?

"I'm just glad I could help her," she said quietly.

Isaac eyed her curiously as if he were trying to puzzle something out.

"I don't think this needs to be sutured," he said as he looked back at her wound.

"Well, that's a relief. I've had enough stitches lately."

"Yeah, I noticed the scar on your other arm. Don't tell me you got shot there, too."

"Nope. Knife."

"Damn."

"Comes with the territory."

Isaac started to apply butterfly bandages on the cut. "Ya know, after our night together, I tried to find you."

"Oh?" Elisa said cautiously.

"Yeah, not gonna lie, I was pretty heartbroken that the incredible woman I met in a bar split after an amazing night together," he replied with another dimpled smile. "So, I discreetly asked around about you a little, and apparently, I'm one of the last few guys in the biz who hadn't heard of you."

"Dare I ask?"

"Most of it's good. You're a phenomenal detective, and you volunteer at homeless shelters in your spare time. Any of the negative comments I heard were from men I suspected were racists, misogynists, or both."

"Shocker," Elisa said sarcastically.

She watched Isaac for a moment. She had felt badly about sneaking off. It was cowardly. "So, out of curiosity, if you figured out so much about me, how come you never tried to contact me?"

"I thought about it, but then I figured there must have been a reason why you took off. You were clearly dealing with some shit, and you obviously didn't want anything else to come of what happened that night, and I respect that," Isaac said with a light shrug.

"Thank you," Elisa said sincerely.

"No, thank _you_! That was one hell of a night for me."

Elisa couldn't help but laugh.

"By the way…I saw how that big gargoyle looked at you right before he took off."

"What do you mean?" Elisa said startled.

Isaac smiled almost sympathetically at her.

"I think he's got a pretty big crush on you. You might want to start locking your windows at night if you don't already."

The blood drained from Elisa's face. Certainly not because she was actually worried, though Isaac seemed to think that. She just really didn't need rumors of a romance between her and a gargoyle flying around. Especially because it was true.

"Come on, I'm joking. I've seen enough evidence with my own eyes to know they aren't like that."

"Aren't like what?" Elisa asked cautiously.

Isaac met her eyes. He had finished wrapping her arm with gauze, and was now putting his things away.

"We pick up three kinds of people in my ambulance: ones who are sick or hurt in accidents, ones who are hurt by their own hand, and ones who have been hurt by others. I have never picked up anyone who has been hurt by a gargoyle, though, and I don't know anyone else in my line of work who has either."

Elisa was quiet as she debated saying anything. He seemed sympathetic which made her feel a little better about having slept with him, but one could never be too sure.

"They're on the good side, Isaac," she said eventually.

Isaac looked at her long and hard, then he seemed to come to some kind of conclusion and looked back at his handiwork.

"Hey, you're all set."

"Thank you, Isaac. I mean that."

Isaac understood she wasn't just talking about her arm.

"I don't know what was going on in your life that brought you to that bar over a year ago, and though I'm really glad it did, I hope that things are better for you now," he said kindly.

"They are. In fact, that night kind of…opened up my eyes about a few things, so in a way, you kind of helped me out."

"Hey…if you ever need that kind of _help_ again, you are more than welcome to give me a call."

Elisa laughed good-naturedly.

"Thank you, I'm with someone now, but I appreciate the offer."

"Can't say I'm surprised. Well, I can only hope that I run into you again sometime. Though, preferably not on the job."

He flashed that endearing lopsided smile of his at her again, and she couldn't help but smile back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't help myself from throwing Isaac from "Broken Vows" into this story.


	15. Into the Fire

**January 8, 1997  
1:40 a.m.  
23rd Precinct**

"Maza! My office!" Chavez shouted.

Elisa flinched.

She had just arrived back at the precinct, but she could guess why Chavez was in a mood. She stepped into the captain's office with trepidation.

"Have you been medically cleared?" Captain Chavez asked as she closed the door behind them and then sat at her desk.

"Yeah, a paramedic looked me over. I'm fine."

"Good. I'm glad you finally listened to me and wore a vest for once. Now, sit down."

As Elisa took a seat, Chavez turned on a small television in her office which was replaying the news from Times Square. A news crew had caught the gargoyles subduing the Pack, but they were playing a particular reel of footage over and over.

Footage of her intercepting Hyena's attack on Katana and Goliath running to her aid.

The footage was dark and taken from a distance, but you could just make out Goliath intimately pressing his brow to hers.

"You know them, don't you?" It came out as a question, but her tone was accusatory.

Elisa worked her jaw for a moment, struggling to decide what to say.

"I've…run into them a few times on the job."

Chavez gave her a dubious look. She didn't buy it. Not fully.

"He seems to be very familiar with you," she said pointing to Goliath on the clip they were currently displaying.

"…I've had a _lot_ of run ins with them," Elisa said with a straight face. "He was just grateful I wasn't hurt trying to save the female and the egg she was carrying."

Chavez sighed and ran a hand over her face.

"Gargoyles…eggs. Jesus Christ," she moaned. "Where did they even come from?" she pressed.

"They've always been here. They're not aliens if that's what you're thinking."

"I don't know what to think!" Chavez said throwing up her hands in exasperation. "All I know is that I have a bunch of these creatures living in my city, and one of my detectives knows them, and knows them well, if I'm not mistaken. You've been holding out on me, Maza, and I want the truth. Now."

"It's not my story to tell, Captain. I have to consider their safety," Elisa hedged.

Chavez gave her a level look.

"And what about the safety of the citizens of this city?"

"The gargoyles are not a threat to them."

"You were there in October. You saw the destruction and chaos they caused. We still don't know how they were involved in the precinct bombing."

Elisa let out a long-suffering sigh.

"We've had this conversation before. That wasn't the gargoyles it was the Hunters. The Canmore siblings. Jason Canmore confessed to everything."

"But they wouldn't have been here if the gargoyles weren't."

"Come on Captain, that's not a fair accusation to make. You can't blame the gargoyles for simply _existing_."

Maria tapped her pen thoughtfully on the desk.

"You can either tell me what's _really_ going on, or—"

"If I tell you, you will also have to accept some pretty unbelievable things. Things I still have a hard time wrapping my head around, and I've seen a lot of weird shit, Captain, you have no idea."

Chavez looked long and hard at her detective. She remembered Elisa as a young girl, back when she used to work with her father, Peter. She had always been mature and levelheaded, even in her youth, but right now she was sounding unhinged.

"You've got a day to think about it, but if you don't come clean to me, I'm putting you on suspension until I have the truth."

"Captain—" Elisa began to protest.

"You are one of my best detectives, Elisa, but right now…I can't trust you," Maria said regretfully. "and I need detectives on my team who I can trust."

That stung, and for a few moments Elisa could only stare mutely at her Captain. Then she stood up and stormed out without another word.

Matt caught her coming out of the Captain's office and grabbed her by the arm.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"Chavez has me over a barrel about the gargoyles," Elisa said with barely contained anger.

"Damn it. I knew you shouldn't have jumped into the fight like that!" he bemoaned.

"What was I supposed to do?" she hissed quietly so that only Matt could hear her. "Let Hyena make mincemeat out of one of them?"

"No, I know why you did it," Matt sighed, acquiescing. "Speaking of, I didn't recognize the blue female. Is she new?"

"Yeah. Her name is Katana. I just met her tonight. I don't have the full story. I need to get back to the clan and talk to them."

"Hold on. I'm coming with you."

Elisa smiled gratefully at her partner as he grabbed his overcoat and followed her out of the building.

* * *

"Forty years?!" Matt Exclaimed. "Fuck me!"

"He said a bad word," Nashville tittered.

Katana swatted him lightly with her tail and gave the youth a reproachful look.

"Yeah, I know. At least I still have my rugged good looks!" Brooklyn joked as he grinned and tapped his eyepatch.

Broadway lightly punched him in the arm, and Brooklyn threw his arm around his brother's neck and knuckled his bald head, roughhousing lightly the way they used to.

"Listen, aside from checking in on all of you, there's a reason we came by," Elisa said to Goliath. "Can we talk with you outside for a minute?"

Goliath nodded and they followed him out, leaving the rest of the clan to continue talking about their recent adventures. Lexington had enthusiastically jumped into telling a story about a British gargoyle he called 'Amp.'

"What did you need to speak about?" Goliath said once they were out on the ramparts.

"News crews captured footage of my involvement in the fight earlier tonight, and they caught our interaction. Captain Chavez suspects that I know more about you guys than I've told her."

Goliath scowled.

"And unless I tell my captain the truth, I'm out of a job."

Elisa spoke as though she were only mildly annoyed by the situation, but Goliath could tell she was worried. Her livelihood, her career, her very identity was at stake.

The large gargoyle sighed heavily and folded his arms across his chest as he thought.

"How much can we trust your captain?" he asked.

"She's tough, but she's fair. She used to work with my dad, and she's been a friend of my family for a long time. She's a good person, and I think we could trust her, but…she also has to report to people higher up than her. I'm not sure how much she's going to be able to keep confidential."

Goliath looked to Matt who shrugged.

"I suggest we tell her the bare minimum. That we've had run ins with you guys, basic introductions, stuff like that. See how she deals with that and then go from there," Matt offered.

"But what will happen when she finds out the full truth?" Goliath asked. "When she learns that you did not tell her everything? Elisa, I do not want to jeopardize your career. I know what it means to you."

"My career is less important than the clan's safety. If I have to take a hit, I will."

Goliath felt a surge of pride and love for his mate at her words, but he shook his head and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"No. I cannot have you sacrificing more than you already have for us. Introduce me to her. Let me speak with her."

Elisa gazed stubbornly at him and then nodded reluctantly.

"I'll see if she wants a meeting."

"Good," Goliath said. "This could be a positive step forward for our clan."

Elisa smiled warily.

"I hope so."

Goliath then turned to Elisa's partner.

"Matt, would you mind if I spoke with Elisa alone for a minute?"

"Sure," Matt said with a shrug. "I wouldn't mind trying to get a few stories out of Brooklyn." He walked back into the castle.

"What's up?" Elisa asked Goliath once her partner was gone.

Goliath said nothing but pulled her into his arms and wrapped his wings tightly around them. Elisa couldn't help but melt into him, all the tension from the night left her body as he held her.

"I thought I had lost you earlier," Goliath whispered into her hair.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm alright." Elisa said in an attempt to comfort him, but there was no comforting the large gargoyle, and he only held her tighter.

"When I thought Hyena had killed you, all I could think about was that moment on the dam with the Hunters, and the many times I have failed you," Goliath said his face haunted.

"I'm ok, Goliath, it wasn't your fault. I took risks knowingly, both times."

"I am sorry, Elisa," he continued as he placed a talon under her chin and lifted her face up to look at him. "For the price you continually pay because of your association with us…with me. I wish you could have the life you deserve, not one spent risking your safety fighting one crisis after another."

"Life isn't about what we deserve, it's about the choices we make and our responses to things beyond our control. You have challenged me and forced me to grow in innumerable ways, Goliath. Your presence in my life has brought peril, but also joy, friendship, and love greater than any I have ever had before." Elisa said as she caressed his face tenderly. "You are worth every challenge we have faced and will face in the future. I chose this life, I chose you, and I will continue to choose you every day because I love you."

"I love you, too. With all of my being," Goliath said passionately before he kissed her. They stayed together like that for a while, blissfully ignoring everything else around them until the need to be with the clan overruled their need to be alone.

"Come on, let's get back to the others. I want to hear more from Brooklyn," Elisa said.

Hand in hand, they went back inside.


	16. Introductions

**January 8, 1997  
** **10:00 p.m.  
Elisa's Loft**

"He said he would meet us here?" Captain Chavez said doubtfully.

"Yes."

"Has he been here—to your home—before?"

"Uh…yeah," Elisa said after some hesitation.

Maria gave her a disapproving look.

After spending the morning calming down her frantic parents who had seen what happened on the news, then getting a few hours of restless sleep, Elisa spent the early evening setting up a meeting between her captain and Goliath. She went back and forth between the castle and the precinct several times to arrange the meeting for later that night, but now they stood on the roof of Elisa's building as they awaited Goliath's arrival for their meeting.

"I'm not in any danger…am I?" Captain Chavez said as she fingered her revolver.

Elisa had to make a conscious effort not to roll her eyes. She was used to the gargoyles and no longer saw their frightful visage. She knew them as intelligent, fully sentient beings with complex emotions, just like humans, but she had to remind herself that Chavez had never seen a gargoyle up close, and their ferocity and otherness would be the first thing she noticed.

"You are in absolutely no danger. Please trust me. He is the one in greater danger here. They're not bulletproof," she replied, acknowledging that she had seen Chavez reach for her gun.

Chavez winced sheepishly and took her hand off her sidearm. Then they all looked up as they felt a rush of wind and heard a snap of wings, and watched Goliath touch down a couple yards back on the roof.

Maria Chavez took a single frightened step back, but she wasn't a coward. She did not retreat, and she stood her ground in the face of the unknown.

"Captain Chavez. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Goliath," the gargoyle said as he elegantly caped his wings around his shoulders and made a courtly bow to her.

Elisa mouthed the words " _show off,"_ to Goliath behind Maria's back.

One corner of his mouth turned up slightly in a smirk. It was subtle enough that Maria didn't catch it, but Elisa, who knew him well, didn't miss it.

Chavez wasn't quite sure what she had expected, but his clear manner of speech had caught her off guard.

"Dios mio," she breathed as her eyes scanned his full height. "You looked large on camera, but in person…you are aptly named, aren't you?"

"Don't worry, Captain. He's a giant teddy bear," Elisa quipped.

Goliath shot his mate an incredulous look.

"Well, a teddy bear with sharp teeth and talons."

"Please be assured that I pose no threat to you or the citizens of this city," Goliath said in a calm pleasant tone.

Maria eyed him doubtfully. He looked like he could bench press a bus.

"They're protectors. Like we are," Elisa reaffirmed.

"They're vigilantes," Chavez corrected crossly as she began to shake off the nerves of meeting a real-live breathing gargoyle for the first time.

"It is true we operate outside the rule of human law. That is not by choice, but by necessity as, technically, my kind do not exist," Goliath countered.

Chavez looked at him, awed by his ability to speak so eloquently. He was not just sentient, he was intelligent and articulate, but now was not the time to be amazed. She had a job to do. Maria squared her shoulders and put on her best no-nonsense face.

"A technicality that I doubt will exist for long. Eventually new laws will be passed to address you, and I'm not sure they will be in your favor," she rebutted.

Goliath was unruffled.

"Until that day, we will continue to fulfill our purpose."

"And that is?"

"To protect the Island of Manhattan and all those who dwell within it."

Maria stared at Goliath for a few long moments.

"Why?" she finally asked.

It was a simple question, but not one that was easily answered.

"It is what my kind do. It is in our blood, our instincts, our…DNA. Whatever you want to call it, it is the nature of my kind to protect our home with unwavering dedication."

"And how do you decide who needs protecting? How do you know that a man holding a gun isn't a burglar, but a man protecting his home?"

"How do _you_ do the same?" Goliath countered.

Maria's face hardened initially at his audacity, and then it softened as she conceded his point.

"I will acknowledge that we are not perfect," Maria admitted reluctantly. "But how do we ensure _you_ do not act with unnecessary force or serve your own agenda?"

"We try our best to ensure we are not causing harm, and we also have Elisa and Matt to guide us. They are our oversight, our…liaisons, if you will."

Elisa looked at Maria and shrugged.

"Captain, you've seen the evidence with your own eyes as to how effective these guys are. Arrest numbers have skyrocketed in the last few years. Criminals have literally turned themselves in because 'monsters' told them to," Elisa said.

"I will agree that, from a numbers stand point, they seem to be good for our city, but officially…I don't know how to deal with them."

"That's why the GTF was formed, remember?" Matt piped up.

"I'm still debating whether or not I should keep you both on the GTF. It's a major conflict of interest considering the whole point of the GTF is to apprehend the gargoyles and bring them in, and you clearly have no intention of doing so. I still can't believe you _both_ know them and never told me," Maria said angrily.

"Captain, what do you honestly think would happen to them if we did?" Elisa pointed out.

"I will not spend my life as a lab rat, a specimen to be caged and studied, nor will I allow any of my clan, my _family_ , to suffer that fate," Goliath spat.

The tone of the conversation had taken a chilly turn, so Matt jumped in to try and smooth ruffled feathers.

"Captain, please, who better to be on the task force than those who have knowledge about how the gargoyles operate, what they're _really_ like," Matt said. "Look, if any of them broke any major laws, I'd put them in handcuffs myself, but they're not a danger to law abiding citizens."

"There are policies and procedures we have to follow, Bluestone. If they are violated, violent criminals could walk free on legal technicalities. What happens when the DA catches wind that these guys have been involved in several cases over the years? We could have a whole bunch of cases thrown out, convictions overturned! We finally put Dracon away and you know his lawyers are just itching for any excuse to get him out of Rikers," Maria countered passionately.

"Let's just hope Yale remains in the dark about our relationship with them," Elisa said.

"That is small comfort, detective. I'm not going to hinge my career on the hope that Yale never discovers your relationship with the gargoyles."

"I know this is all hard to take in. Believe me, it was hard for me when I first learned of them, and I'm a self-proclaimed conspiracy theorist…but the gargoyles serve a really important role aside from helping to deal with the occasional petty criminal," Matt explained.

"Matt, I'm not sure—" Elisa interjected, knowing where he was going with this.

"I think she deserves the full truth," Goliath cut in.

"Full truth? What haven't you told me?" Maria said as she looked angrily at each of them.

"Let's just say that thieves, rapists, and gangsters are the least of our problems," Elisa grumbled.

"You know how weird things seem to happen that we can't explain?" Matt started "We give some bullshit answers and fudge reports to make unexplainable things seem mundane, like those nights where no one in the city could remember anything that happened. The gargoyles tackled that problem and several others you are not aware of. They deal with the really weird shit, the supernatural and fairy tale monsters, when we don't have the ability to. Goliath saved the entire human race three months ago, and no one even knows what he did or even how close we all came to becoming extinct! He's a fucking hero, and no one knows that!" Matt finished passionately.

"What?" Maria asked confused.

"It's true," Elisa confirmed.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The same time that the Canmores came to Manhattan, a mad scientist and a xenocidal maniac got together and mixed magic and science together to create a virus that would have wiped out all human life. Goliath not only helped to stop the Hunters, but he also ensured a biological weapon wasn't released by putting himself and his whole clan in harm's way," Elisa summarized.

Maria turned to look at Goliath skeptically. He didn't show any signs of smug bravado like she imagined someone who had saved the world would. He just stood confidently but humbly, his arms folded across his chest.

"I am no hero. I only did what had to be done," he said.

"God, I don't know what to think or do about any of this," Maria said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Leave it to me and Matt. We've been handling it so far," Elisa offered.

Maria looked at the three of them.

"If I agree to this. I want to know everything, and I mean _everything,_ and I want reports in the future on any cases that involve the gargoyles. Do you understand?"

"Do you want those reports in writing, Captain?" Elisa asked. She was exhausted and unable to keep from replying sarcastically.

"Of course not!" Maria snapped with growing frustration. "I don't need a god damn paper trail for all of this!"

Elisa looked to Goliath who nodded solemnly.

"I hope you can keep an open mind. It may be a bit much to swallow," the gargoyle began.

Maria folded her arms over her chest.

"Start talking."

**January 9, 1997  
** **3:00 p.m.**  
 **23rd Precinct  
**

After their meeting with the captain, an emergency meeting with the GTF was called the next afternoon.

"So, I'm sure you've all heard or at least seen the news at this point. Some of you were even there the other night," Matt said to the Gargoyle Task Force members in attendance. His old partner, Hacker, fortunately could not attend.

"We sure chose the wrong night to take off," Phil Travanti said to his partner Morgan.

"I am happy to miss out on any action involving those Pack weirdos," Morgan replied with a laugh.

"If the gargoyles were involved, Matt, why weren't we called up?" Cedric Harris asked.

"With both the Pack and the gargoyles involved, there was no clear jurisdiction over the situation, and the fight had resolved itself before we could haggle it out," Matt explained.

"Why were the gargoyles there fighting the Pack to begin with?" Tri Chung asked. "It was almost like they were…helping? Did you see how quickly they took out the Pack? It was less than twenty minutes!"

"Did you see what they did to Jackal?" Phil retorted. "I mean, I know he's, like, part robot or some shit, and I'm honestly not sure how much of him even remains human, but still…they ripped his fucking arms out."

"Can you imagine what would happen if they ever decided to attack civilians?" Cedric said.

DA Margot Yale stormed into the room at that point.

"Well, you've made a fine mess, Detective Maza!" she huffed as she sat down.

"Oh, here we go," Elisa said under her breath so only Matt could hear her.

"Everyone is talking about the cop and the gargoyle!" Yale continued. "There are all kinds of weird conspiracy theories flying around from the NYPD being involved with them, to you're the gargoyle's lover!"

Matt and Elisa made a very conscious effort not to look at each other. They had discussed how they were going to handle this with Chavez last night, and now it was time to tell the others.

"Well, they got one thing right. I covertly made contact with the gargoyles, and since then, I have been…attempting to earn their trust," Elisa said.

There was a collective gasp.

"Isn't that a bit…dangerous?" Cedric asked.

"No more so than our jobs usually are," Matt retorted. "They seem to find Elisa less intimidating than myself, so—" Matt started.

"Okay, now I truly believe they don't know her that well," Phil said, and the others chuckled. Elisa glared at him, but her grin said she didn't take the ribbing personally.

"We are hoping she can gather information on them and report it back to us, if possible. We will be playing it off to the public that she is an ambassador, of sorts, for the NYPD."

As Matt continued to explain the "plan" to everyone and answer questions, Morgan was suspiciously quiet.

* * *

After the meeting broke, Morgan pulled Elisa aside.

"Elisa…your ex at the party wore a costume that looked just like that gargoyle on the news," he said, sotto voce. "It seemed so realistic, and I just thought it was expensive movie-quality work, but it wasn't special effects…was it?"

Elisa was silent as she looked him in the eye and regretted, once again, taking him to the Halloween party.

"No. It wasn't," she admitted.

Morgan let out a long whistle.

"Damn, Elisa…" he said with disbelief. "I can't believe I actually met a real-live gargoyle and didn't know it! I shook hands with him, even! He was polite! And _he's_ your ex? What in the world am I supposed to do with that information?"

"I have nothing but respect for you, Morgan, and you have every right to do what you will with what you know…but I am begging you, please, if that gets out, it will ruin me," Elisa pleaded.

Morgan looked sadly at her.

"I wasn't planning on telling a soul, Elisa, but what the hell am I supposed to think now? They're clearly not soulless monsters. What am I doing on the GTF? What the hell are _you_ doing on the GTF?"

"Can we grab a cup of coffee and talk?" Elisa said resigned to another hard conversation.

Morgan warily considered her invitation. This was a rabbit hole he knew that if he fell into it, he would never be able to get back out.

After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.


	17. Pillow Talk

**January 9, 1997**  
 **6:00 p.m.  
** **Elisa's Loft**

The news was replaying the fight in Times Square again. They particularly seemed to enjoy playing the grainy footage of her and Goliath. It was surreal to see herself on camera with him, but she could see what Matt talked about. Their connection was really obvious.

She sighed heavily.

Even after arranging a meeting with Chavez, the captain still insisted that she take some time off. PR was spinning it that she was acting as a kind of ambassador to the gargoyles which explained the familiarity, but there was a lot of buzz around her involvement with them, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to lay low for a bit.

She just hoped people would buy it, and that when the news stopped replaying the footage, everyone would move on.

Hopefully.

She had spent the early evening speaking with Morgan. Telling him the truth. He knew too much, and Elisa respected him too much to lie to him. He listened attentively, easily accepting what she told him, and he agreed to keep the truth to himself with the caveat that if he were ever required to speak under oath about anything she had told him, he wouldn't lie.

Elisa hoped that day would never come, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. She could hope for the best, but she needed to plan for the worst, which might include being forced out of her job someday.

"Perhaps you should stop watching the news," Goliath said as he slipped in through the window.

"It's like watching the train wreck of my life," Elisa lamented as she shut off the TV.

Goliath wrapped her up in his arms and wings and she leaned into him, taking strength from his solid presence.

"This will pass," he said in an attempt to comfort her.

"Maybe this time, but what about the next? I can't play it safe when it comes to you guys. If I hadn't done something, Katana and her egg could be dead. Things like this may continue to happen as the media focuses on you guys more and more. Some day…it's all going to come out. I can feel it."

Goliath stroked her hair soothingly.

"I will stand by you, no matter what happens."

"I know you will," Elisa said and melted into him.

"Is there anything I can do for you right now?" he asked.

Elisa looked up at him, and then she took his hand and wordlessly led him to her bedroom.

* * *

Elisa tightly gripped the headboard of her bedframe. Perspiration beaded on her skin as she rode her lover.

"Don't stop, don't stop, don't—" she broke off her chanting and cried out in triumphant release. Goliath thrust into her once more and snarled loudly, his talons dug almost painfully into her hips as they both came.

Elisa collapsed on top of him, completely spent. Goliath ran his hands up and down her back and through her hair as he panted heavily beneath her. They held each other as they cooled down, then Elisa rolled over next to Goliath and relaxed into the cool sheets.

"I love watching you climax," Goliath said, his voice low and somnolent.

"Really?" Elisa replied amused by his admission.

"You look stunning," he said as he looked at her. "You completely let go, and for a brief moment you're not worried about anything but your own pleasure, and I love doing that to you."

He grinned smugly at her, his fangs glinting in the low light.

"Is that so?" Elisa said as she draped a leg over his. She ran her fingers idly up and down his rock-hard abdomen, and then she slid her hand lower and gripped him between his legs. "Care to go again?"

Goliath moved on top of her and started to kiss her neck and breasts when her stomach growled loudly.

"Hungry?" Goliath asked her.

"Apparently," she laughed.

Goliath kissed her and then hopped out of the bed.

"Then I shall feed you," he said as he strutted out into her kitchen stark naked. She propped herself up on her elbow and watched him walk away, appreciatively eyeing his ass as he did, then she noticed something odd. A pale jagged scar on his left flank.

He returned shortly with a plate of finger food he'd scrounged in her kitchen: a sliced baguette, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and nuts, as well as a bottle of scotch that he favored. With his hands already full, he carried the bottle in with his tail.

"That must come in handy," Elisa said amused.

"Aye, though, it's not very pleasant when it gets caught in a door."

"I would imagine not," Elisa laughed.

He set the plate down carefully next to Elisa and set the scotch on the bedside table.

"This is like a picnic in bed," Elisa said her voice full of mirth. "It's a good thing I was planning on changing the sheets anyway."

"Indeed," Goliath replied and kissed her temple before they both tucked in.

"So, what's the story behind this?" Elisa asked as she lightly traced the scar on his left buttock.

"Hmm? Oh, that was from a youthful folly," he said as he poured scotch into two glasses and handed one to her. She inhaled the smokey, peaty scent of it and imagined the cliffs and moors of Goliath's homeland before she took a sip.

"I'd love to hear it," Elisa responded.

"I was…a score and six years, I think," he mused as he took a sip of his drink.

"That's like a thirteen-year-old human, right?" Elisa said before she bit into a slice of bread with brie on it.

"Yes, give or take. Which is why I was determined to go hunt on my own, to try and impress my elders…and rookery sisters."

"Ah, tale as old as time…newly budding hormones mixed with a gangly, awkward, changing body, and a desperate need to impress the opposite sex. What could possibly go wrong?"

Goliath grinned. "I was hunting boar, which are tricky for even seasoned hunters, and I thought I could catch a really big one that had been haunting the woods near Wyvern at the time. I misjudged how cantankerous and vicious it was, and the beast caught me right in the flank with a tusk."

Elisa grimaced.

"That must have hurt."

"Aye, but not as much as it hurt my ego. I returned empty handed and sporting a nasty wound in an embarrassing location. It was a long time before I lived that one down."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you had your awkward years as well."

Goliath laughed.

"I was all feet, wings, and tail for a time. Took me a while to grow into them."

"And boy, did you ever," Elisa said as she trailed her fingers down one of his large biceps. "At least you never had to deal with braces or acne."

"True," Goliath laughed.

"If my mother ever threatens to show you pictures of me as a teenager, do me a favor and run! Please!"

"I imagine you were always beautiful," he said as he brushed a lock of hair away from her face.

"I would like to point out at this time that you did not always think that," Elisa teased him.

"At least _I_ did not fall off the side of a castle at the first sight of you," Goliath retaliated.

"Hey! I'd never seen a gargoyle before!" she said defensively and threw a grape at him. He caught it in his mouth, and bit down on it as he grinned widely at her.

"I'll admit it took me a while to notice your beauty, but now…" he took her hand and kissed it. Then he kissed her palm and wrist and up along her forearm. "I love everything about you, Elisa."

She sighed at the sensation of his lips on her skin, and her heart fluttered, sending a flush of color to her cheeks, and a surge of heat between her legs. Goliath noticed her signs of arousal, it thrilled him how responsive she was to him, and he moved their glasses and food onto the nightstand, and pulled her in close.

"I love your neck…your shoulders," he said as he rained kisses upon everything he named. "Your breasts," he said with a growl, and he spent some time kissing, suckling, nipping, and toying with them until she was panting heavily.

"I love your legs," he said as he slowly dragged his hand up them. She shivered at the sensation of his fingers and talons dragging along her thighs. He could hurt her if he wanted to. He could tear her open or snap her neck if he pleased, but he was always so tender with her. However, the danger he presented was still there, and it excited her in a way she didn't care to dwell on much.

"I especially love this," Goliath said as his hand slipped between the cleft of her thighs and he caressed her, drawing out a soft moan from her.

"I can't get enough of you, Elisa," he growled.

Elisa put her arm around his neck and pulled him down to her and kissed him hungrily. He was hard again and she wrapped her free hand around him.

"I need you inside me," she panted.

Goliath growled, a low almost feral sound as his eyes flashed silver-white. He grabbed her by the waist and carefully but swiftly flipped her over onto her hands and knees. She made a soft sound of surprise at the sudden change of position, but then moaned as he pressed the length of his body along hers. His hands found her breasts, and he kneaded them as he kissed the back of her neck and down her spine.

His tail wound around her leg, snaking up higher and higher until she felt it caress her sex.

"Oh!" she huffed in surprise.

"Is this alright?" Goliath asked her as he gently bit her shoulder.

"Yes," Elisa moaned as his unexpectedly dexterous tail caressed her.

He pressed himself between her thighs and gently entered her from behind. He grabbed her hips as he moved in and out of her, and Elisa moved against him. She fisted her hands and gripped her sheets for purchase, and her cries of pleasure grew louder as he filled her and his tail teased her. Their sighs and moans and the sound of flesh upon flesh were the only music they needed. Goliath's eyes illuminated the dim room, and his wings flared out. He heard a crash and realized only later that he had knocked over a lamp, but thankfully spared the bottle of scotch. He was lost to the sensation of their bodies moving together and the pleasure building between them. Elisa keened loudly, tossing her head back deliriously as she came. He could feel the soft pulsing heartbeat between her thighs, and with another thrust he followed after her, her name a cry on his lips. He bowed his head over her, her chest and back heaving with the after effects of their union. He kissed her spine, her smooth strong back, the nape of her neck, and tasted the salt of her exertions. He rolled her over and looked upon her. She gazed up at him, her smile rapturous.

He kissed her tenderly, his mouth moved slowly against hers in a long drawn out kiss. Then he rolled over next to her, lying contentedly by her side. Her hand sought his and they were quiet for a time as they lay next to each other, their minds drifting as they gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

"Hey, did you ever get that boar? The one that wounded you?" Elisa said after a while.

"Yes," Goliath replied with a cocky grin. "It tasted a bit dry, though."

Elisa burst into a fit of laughter.

**January 10, 1997  
Dawn**   
**Castle Wyvern**

"Where is Goliath?" Coldstone asked, noticing his absence from the rest of the clan as they gathered on the battlements before dawn.

"He's over at Elisa's place," Angela answered cheerily.

"It is nearly dawn. Why has he not returned?" the resurrected gargoyle continued with his concerns.

"Because he's probably planning to spend the day at Elisa's," Broadway said as if stating the obvious.

"Why would he stay there instead of with his clan?" Coldstone continued obliviously.

He looked at everyone with confusion, but his clan all had looks on their faces that suggested he was being particularly dense.

"My love, Goliath is staying with Elisa because they are lovers," Coldfire said observantly. "Are they not?" she looked at Brooklyn for confirmation.

"They have not come out and told us directly, but we've all seen the writing on the wall," Brooklyn said. "They love each other."

"Goliath… _mated_ with a human?" Coldstone said appalled by the idea.

"Elisa may be human, but from what I have learned of the woman, she has stood by our clan when others, even our own, have failed," Coldfire said.

"Do not get me wrong, Elisa is an admirable woman, but…she is not a gargoyle."

"That may be true, but can we say we are truly gargoyles as well? And yet, we are still clan," Coldfire pointed out.

"I know it comes as a shock to ye, but we have all accepted it as what it is. Goliath and Elisa are good fer each other, despite their differences," Hudson said.

Coldstone looked at the assembled group. The thought of Goliath and Elisa together mildly disgusted him, but Elisa was an honorable and incredibly brave woman who had come through for the gargoyles on a number of occasions. Did it truly matter what Goliath chose to do with her in his private time? He let out a low grumbling sigh.

"I suppose it is none of my concern," he said grumpily.

Coldfire put her robotic hand on her mate as the rest of the clan got into position for the day. The pair watched as their clan turned to stone while they remained conscious. They watched the sunrise together, marveling at its splendor of color as they did every morning.

"Come, let us guard them while they sleep. Goliath will return to us tonight, I am certain," Coldfire said once the coral and crimson colors had waned, and the world was bathed in the golden light of early morning.

Coldstone watched his mate as she retreated. His current body did not have biological urges like hunger or lust, but his soul still remembered what it felt like to hold her and touch her, and he yearned for the feeling of her warm skin against his, for the connection that intimacy brought. Despite Goliath's sexual preferences, he envied him that. He could touch his mate and be touched in return.

Resigned to his fate, he followed his mate as they made their rounds in defense of the castle during the daylight hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if gargoyles actually get scars, but this is my story, and I do what I want!


	18. The Stolen Child

**January 10, 1997**   
**12:30 p.m.**   
**Elisa's Loft  
**

Elisa was awakened from a deep sleep, and a very pleasant dream, by her phone ringing. She pawed sleepily at it on her nightstand, knocked it out of the cradle, and eventually picked it up and put it to her ear.

"Nngh…hello?" she said groggily into the receiver. She'd only been asleep for four hours. Goliath had thoroughly worn her out the night before, and she was barely conscious.

"Elisa, there's a baby missing from the Labyrinth."

Elisa sat up, instantly awake from the spike of adrenaline from her brother's words.

"Derek? Is it Mateo? Nita's baby?"

"Yeah, it's Mateo," came his somber response.

"What happened?"

"Nita came to us a little while ago frantically asking if Maggie had seen Mateo. Apparently, she fell asleep while he was napping, and when she woke up, he wasn't in his bassinet."

"Is there anyone else who could have him? Like Julia?"

"She's missing, too."

"What? Ok, that's certainly suspicious…Have you locked down all of the exits?"

"It was the first thing I did when we heard a baby was missing. I was a cop once, too, if you remember," Talon replied tersely.

"I do. You were a good one, too," Elisa said appealing to his pride to smooth over any ruffled feathers, or fur in his case.

"I haven't had a chance to interview anyone who was on watch yet, but my gut instinct is he's not in the labyrinth anymore," Talon speculated.

"I'm headed your way right now."

"Thanks, Elisa."

"Tell Nita we're going to find her son."

Talon was quiet for a moment, and she began to think he had hung up when he finally spoke.

"Elisa, I don't think it's a good idea to make promises you can't keep."

"Don't underestimate me, Derek," Elisa warned. One thing she had fought hard against in her career was doubt in her capabilities and people who underestimated her. It rankled her that her own brother would feel the same way.

"I'm not, I know what you're capable of, but...don't underestimate how evil some people are."

Elisa had nothing to say to that. She'd seen enough of what people were capable of to know he spoke the truth.

"Then tell Nita...tell her help is coming," Elisa amended.

"I'll see you soon, Elisa," Talon replied and he hung up.

She hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed. As she was about to leave, her phone rang again. She picked it up hoping it was her brother with good news; that it had all been a false alarm and Mateo had been found.

"Derek?"

"Uh, no, it's Matt. Sorry if I woke you, but we've got results from the second autopsy Dr. Laghari performed on Olivia Jefferson. I know you're taking some time off, but I'm heading down to the morgue, and I figured you would want to come with."

"It's going to have to wait. Nita's baby has gone missing."

"What? Oh God," Matt said horrified. "Do you think Pal Joey had something to do with it?"

"I don't know. I'm heading to the Labyrinth right now."

"Why don't I speak with Dr. Laghari, and then I'll meet you down there."

"Thanks, Matt. I think this is going to be an all-hands-on-deck situation."

After she got off the phone with her partner, she dashed out the door. She took the elevator down to the parking garage and headed straight for her car. She fished her keys out of her pocket, but she fumbled them and dropped them on the ground. She bent over to pick them up where they had fallen. If she hadn't dropped her keys, she may have seen the reflection of the dark figure on the driver's side window of her car as they snuck up behind her. Instead, she felt a flash of pain as something struck the back of her head, and then everything went dark.

**1:00 p.m.**   
**New York County Morgue  
**

"Thanks for coming down, Detective Bluestone. I didn't think this was something that should wait, but, uh...where is your partner?" Dr. Laghari said in greeting to Matt.

"She's busy with a different aspect of this case. I'm meeting up with her later, and I'll fill her in on what you tell me," Matt replied.

Dr. Laghari handed him a toxicology report.

"So…no heroin in her system?" Matt said as he interpreted the results. "The puncture wound on her arm was a ruse?"

"Possibly."

Matt furrowed his brow.

"I looked into the wounds on her head as well. She didn't get them from the river. They're what actually killed her."

"This corroborates exactly with information we gathered from an eye witness," Matt said. "What about the other women we pulled out of the river?"

"Tox screens were run on each of them, and they all came back as positive for heroin, but they all have similar contusions on their faces. They were beaten, but there is nothing to suggest they were murdered, aside from the other three similar cases that make it unlikely they were all accidental."

"Hmm, my partner and I were working on a hunch that Olivia Jefferson's death was unintentional, and that the other women were witnesses to her death and subsequent cover up. We think our suspect has been covering his tracks," Matt mused.

"That's for you to figure out detective. What I'm trying to figure out is why Dr. Kowalski knowingly filed a false report," Dr. Laghari replied.

"That's a very good question," Matt said.

"What the hell is going on here?!" A short, balding, ponchy man in a lab coat said as he barged into the autopsy room. His pudgy face was florid with rage, but Matt saw fear in his eyes.

"That's what we'd like to know." Matt replied coolly.

"Why wasn't I informed that one of my cases was being looked into?" he continued on. The man's name badge clipped to his lab coat identified him as. Dr. Kowalski, the man in question himself. Matt held up his own badge and identification to the doctor. "I'm Detective Bluestone with the NYPD. Mind if I ask you a few questions, Dr. Kowalski?"

"I—uh..." the M.E. spluttered.

Matt charged on. "Can you tell me why you never performed a tox screen on Olivia Jefferson?"

"I-I did. The documentation must have gotten lost," he spluttered nervously, and his beady eyes darted to the exit door. Matt stepped towards him, his tall six-foot-four frame towered over the little M.E.

"How convenient," Matt sneered. "How about you accompany me downtown—"

Dr. Kowalski bolted for the door, but he was no match for Matt's long legs. He caught the man by the arm before he managed to get more than two yards away.

"Running just makes you look like you got something to hide, doc," he said. "Now, do you want to come willingly, or do you want me to lead you out of here in cuffs? It's your call."

The doctor glared at Matt and Dr. Laghari, and then he held up his hands in resignation.

"I'll cooperate," he whined.

**4:15 p.m.  
Labyrinth**

It was almost nightfall by the time Matt made it down to the Labyrinth. He had been stuck at the station questioning Dr. Kowalski about his initial autopsy, and he had some bombshell news he needed to tell Elisa.

"Hey, Claw, how are you?" Matt said as he arrived at the main entrance.

The tiger mutate gave him a thumbs up sign, but he also looked a little melancholy.

He patted his arm and entered the Labyrinth.

"Bluestone," Talon said greeting him. "Did Elisa send you?"

"Yeah, she wanted me to meet her here to help, but I was waylaid. Is she still here?" Matt asked.

"No. We expected her a few hours ago, and she hasn't shown up yet," Talon said growing agitated.

"She wouldn't have just blown something off like this." Matt said, his brows knitted in confusion and concern. "Something's wrong."

"First Mateo, and now Elisa…this is not good," Talon said.

"Maybe Goliath has seen her?"

"It's definitely worth looking into."

"I'll check in with him and his clan, but before I do, why don't you tell me everything you know."

Talon sighed and folded his arms across his chest thoughtfully as he recalled the information he had gathered earlier.

"Nita fell asleep while Mateo was napping earlier today. Sometime around 10:00 a.m. When she woke up just a little after noon, he was gone along with Nita's friend, Julia. I spoke with Al who was on watch at the main exit this morning. He saw Julia leave the Labyrinth with Mateo around 11:00. She told him they were heading out for a short walk while Nita got some rest. Al assumed that would be fine because Nita trusted her."

"Do you think something happened to both of them? The baby's father is a suspect in a series of murders we're investigating, after all."

Talon shrugged a shoulder.

"It's possible, but the longer it takes us to find Mateo, the worse our outcome is going to be, either way," Talon said.

"Do you know much about Julia?"

"Hardly anything other than she's friends with Nita."

"Do you think Nita would be willing to talk to me right now?"

"Let's find out."

Talon lead Matt to Nita's alcove where she was sobbing quietly as Maggie comforted her. She clutched a baby blanket to her breast as she cried brokenheartedly.

"Nita, I'm so sorry for everything you're going through right now," Matt said quietly, gently, as non-threatening as he could possibly be. "I'm Detective Matt Bluestone, Elisa Maza's partner, she was...detained and couldn't make it to speak with you herself, so she sent me. I know we haven't met before, but Talon and Maggie can vouch for me."

Nita looked to the mutates for confirmation, and they both nodded.

"Is there anything you can tell me about Julia? How well do you know her?" Matt asked.

Nita took a few shaky breaths and then started to speak.

"When I was working for PJ, she...she had some kind of arrangement with him that I couldn't figure out. She didn't deal or turn tricks, but she was always around. She would bring us food sometimes. When I left, she found me on the street, and…she told me I would be safe in the Labyrinth from PJ."

"Do you happen to know Julia's last name?"

"I only heard someone use it once. It's something Italian...Bianchi, I think."

"Bianchi?" Matt said and he nearly dropped his pen in surprise. "Pal Joey's full name is Joseph Lorenzo Bianchi."

"That can't be a coincidence!" Talon said.

"Nita, when you heard your friend Sofia was sick and you were assaulted by Pal Joey, who told you?"

"Julia did," Nita said her voice a whisper, her eyes went wide with horrified realization. "Oh, God…it was her. She's been helpin' him this whole time! And now PJ has Mateo!" she wailed and started to cry again. Maggie comforted her as best she could, but she was practically hysterical in her grief.

Matt pulled Talon aside again and spoke quietly with him.

"I'm heading to the castle, we're going to need everyone's help on this. I think Elisa's disappearance and Mateo's are related."

"I think you're right," Talon said worried. "I'm going to swing by her place and check it out. See what I can find. I'll meet you at the castle afterwards."

**5:00 p.m.  
** **Elisa's Loft**

When Goliath awoke that night, Elisa was nowhere to be seen. She was still taking some time off from work, and they had made plans to head to the castle together tonight, but she was not home. Normally, she would have left him a note if she had needed to step out unexpectedly, but he could not find one.

Cagney, who was rather accustomed to noisy gargoyle awakenings, dashed up to him while he was cleaning up the mess he had left in her living room, and he rubbed his head affectionately against the metatarsals of his feet.

"Where is Elisa, little one?" he asked as he crouched down and scratched the cat's head with his talons. He meowed pitifully and then dashed over to his empty food bowl.

"Did she forget to feed you?" Goliath said aloud. "That would be unlike her. Perhaps, you are merely trying to get a second dinner?"

The cat meowed again plaintively.

"You and Broadway would get on like a house on fire," Goliath muttered, mildly amused.

He did not like to see the cat in distress, so he fed him figuring that one extra meal would not hurt him. Cagney ate with gusto which only increased his concerns. If Elisa had forgotten to feed the cat she adored, she either expected to be home by now or she had to leave in an emergency. Either way, her absence was disconcerting.

He heard someone land on the roof outside and he whirled to face whoever it was that was intruding on his mate's home.

"Goliath," Talon greeted him brusquely as he climbed through the window. "Have you seen Elisa?"

"No, she was not here to greet me when I woke up this evening," Goliath said, his concern rising.

Talon narrowed his eyes at the way Goliath admitted he had slept at his sister's as if it was a common occurrence, but he pushed his personal grievances aside for the time being. There were more important things to deal with, and now was not the time to get into it with his sister's boyfriend.

"Has she discussed anything about Nita and Mateo with you?" he asked Goliath.

"Yes. She's been helping them while trying to connect a series of murders to Dracon's man, Pal Joey."

"Mateo was taken from the Labyrinth this afternoon and we suspect Pal Joey has him now."

Goliath's eyes widened in surprise.

"I will gather my clan and—"

"It's worse than that..." Talon interrupted, panic rising in his voice. "I think he's done something to Elisa as well."

"WHAT?!" Goliath roared.

"She was supposed to come down to the Labyrinth when Mateo was first reported missing this afternoon, but she never showed up! It's been almost five hours and no one can find her!"

Goliath's eyes glowed bright white with anger and fear.

"If that bastard has done something to harm her, he will not live long once I get my talons in him," Goliath vowed, his voice cold and certain.

"If he's done something to her, I'll help you," Talon replied just as coldly.

A grim understanding passed between the two males.

"Matt was heading to the castle to speak with your clan, perhaps we should head there first, and then we'll decide what to do from there."

"Let us go then, there is no time to waste," Goliath said and he accompanied Elisa's brother back to the castle.


	19. Burning Down the House

**January 10, 1997  
5:20 p.m.  
** **Castle Wyvern**

Matt was already speaking with Brooklyn and the rest of the clan when Talon and Goliath arrived at the castle.

"Please tell me you found Elisa?" he asked the pair hopefully.

Goliath shook his head.

"She was not home when I awoke," he replied forlornly.

"What do we do?" Angela asked, her face screwed up with worry.

Goliath glanced at the equally worried faces on the rest of the clan.

"Elisa would want us to focus our search on the child, but I suspect that if we find Mateo, we find her," Goliath instructed them.

"I don't even know where to begin looking. They could be anywhere," Matt said as he rubbed his chin tiredly. His stubbly five o'clock shadow scratched roughly at his hand. He hadn't even had a chance to shave yet today.

"We split up into groups. Each one takes a communicator with them. We search the city until we find them," Goliath ordered.

"I've put out an APB on Julia, Joey, and Mateo. If any of them are spotted, or they try to leave town on a plane or public transit, we'll know," Matt said.

"Good. Now, let's get to work. We've already lost precious time," Goliath ordered.

Everyone immediately split off into pairs and took off into the cold night, only Matt, Goliath and Talon remained.

"I'm going to see if I can retrace Elisa's steps," Matt said. "I'll check in with security at her apartment building and see if her car's there."

"I will check out the docks and some of the safe houses you mentioned before," Goliath said.

"I'm going to check in with my parents and make sure they haven't heard from her," Talon offered.

"I fear you may just worry them, but we should not leave any stone unturned," Goliath agreed.

Talon nodded, and he turned to leave, but he paused and stared out into the night sky for a few moments. Matt left without a word, anxious to get to work, leaving Goliath alone with Elisa's brother.

"Until tonight, I hadn't spoken with Elisa since Christmas," Talon admitted.

"I am aware of the fight you had and the rift it caused," Goliath replied.

"I don't want that to be the last memory I have of her," Talon lamented, and Goliath could hear his voice break with sorrow and regret.

"She loves you, Derek," Goliath said gently, using his real name as he put his hand on the mutate's shoulder. "and I know that what was said between you has already been forgiven. Please…help me find her. Let's bring her home."

Talon closed his eyes briefly, and then he nodded and leapt off the castle and flew off in the direction of Long Island where his parents lived, leaving Goliath alone.

He stood on the edge of the parapet and gazed helplessly out at the vast city that spread out below the castle and its tower. How could he possibly find her? More than a million people resided on this island, and finding her amongst them would be nearly impossible, but if he had to, he would search every nook, attic, and basement in every home and building until he found her. He would tear this island apart with his bare hands if he had to.

That was, of course, if she was even still in Manhattan.

Or worse…lying at the bottom of the East River.

Goliath felt a hollow pang in his gut at the thought. He could not think that way. Not now. He had to find her. He could not fail her, and he could not think of what would become of him if he did.

* * *

Elisa heard Cagney meowing to be fed.

"Ungh, Cagney…just a few more minutes, then I'll feed you," she muttered, but the crying persisted. It was getting louder and more insistent, and she just wanted to sleep!

"Cagney, please," she groaned.

And then it slowly started to come back to her. She wasn't home in her bed, and that wasn't her cat crying.

She groggily opened her eyes and tried to blink the sand out of them. Her head hurt terribly, her mouth was dry and fuzzy feeling, and she felt nauseated. She groaned and tried to sit up, but her hands were shackled to a radiator.

What was happening?

As her vision cleared she looked around her. The room was dark, street light from a tiny window high up on a wall was her only illumination, but she could see enough to know the room was small and spartanly furnished. An old ratty threadbare rug in the center of the room was its only decoration.

It was then she remembered.

She had been on her way to the Labyrinth.

Nita's baby was missing.

 _"God, that crying is annoying! Can't you get him to shut up?"_ a male voice shouted from above her.

Elisa looked up towards the ceiling and the exposed underside of a wood floor. The crying and voices were coming down through it along with the sound of footsteps and boards creaking as someone moved around above her.

 _"He's hungry, you idiot. He's only used to breastfeeding, and he refuses to take a bottle!"_ a woman snapped back.

Those voices…

 _"He'll get hungry enough, and he'll take the bottle, don't worry about it,"_ the female voice continued. _"I don't understand why you even wanted me to take him in the first place."_

_"He's my son!"_

_"How can you even be sure? His mother's a cheap whore."_

_"Nita may gladly give a blowjob or a handy to any guy that will toss money at her, but I was the only one stickin' it in her."_

_"You're disgusting and an idiot, Joey. Did no one ever tell you not to shit where you eat? I swear, if you weren't my brother, I'd have ditched you long ago."_

_"Oh, shut up, Julia."_

Julia? Now that she had a name, she could place the voice to the face. It _was_ Julia.

And Pal Joey.

Joey and Julia were siblings?

And they had Mateo.

Elisa's mind was spinning. They had been allied this whole time! That meant Nita had never been safe like she had thought, and when Julia had taken Mateo from the Labyrinth, Pal Joey must have abducted her from her own parking garage.

 _"And_ _why the hell did you bring that cop here?_ " Julia asked angrily, confirming what Elisa had suspected.

_"Once you took my kid from the Labyrinth, I knew she would find out and cause trouble. She's like a dog with a bone."_

_"Why didn't you just kill her a month ago when you had the chance?"_

_"if I'd wasted her and her partner, I would have had every single cop in the NYPD coming after me, and we needed time to off-load the last of the dope. People care about cops getting killed. Nobody cares about a couple of hookers."_

_"That was then, so why not kill her now?"_

There was silence for a while.

 _"If I iced her, those..._ things _will come after me."_

_"What things?"_

_"Gargoyles. Maza has some kind of power or control over them."_

_"Gargoyles?" Julia laughed mockingly. "I've seen them. They live in the Labyrinth. They're big and scary looking, sure, but they're kind of dumb, and they largely ignore Maza. In fact, I think one of them doesn't even like her all that much."_

_"I bet you'd piss your pants if you ever met the really big one. He's a fucking monster! He once thought we were the ones who tried to bump Maza off a couple of years ago. Ever wonder where Tony got that white streak in his hair? Shit…I can still see them…with those glowing eyes...coming for us in that dark warehouse. I still have nightmares about it."_

Goliath had told her only once about what happened that night. That he had mistakenly sought vengeance upon Dracon, and if it hadn't been for Broadway speaking up and telling him the truth, he would have killed him. She was comforted a little by the fact that the experience still haunted Pal Joey.

_"Well, they won't be our problem for long. As soon as your guy gets back to us about those passports, we're on our way to Sicily."_

_"Why Sicily? My Italian is shit,"_ Pal Joey muttered.

_"Because we have connections there. You should have spent more time with Nonna in the kitchen like I had to. All that 'a woman's place is in the kitchen,' sexist bullshit is about to pay off for me."_

Elisa looked around trying to find anything she could possibly use to help her escape. The radiator was her best choice, but it was in decent shape and solidly connected to the wall. She attempted to slip her cuffs, but Pal Joey had tightened them down pretty hard while she was unconscious. They chafed furiously at her wrists.

The baby suddenly stopped crying.

 _"Oh thank god, he finally took the bottle. I was worried I would have to smother him if he didn't shut up,"_ Julia said coldly.

Good lord, that horrid woman had been with Nita and Mateo this whole time? No wonder she had gotten such a distrustful vibe off of her. She had to get free somehow and save Mateo from those two. She hated to think of the kind of life he would have if she didn't. The Labyrinth wasn't an ideal place to raise children, but it was a far cry better place in comparison, especially with a mother who loved him and wanted him despite how he came to be. Nita must be beside herself with worry and fear right now.

And Goliath.

Goliath would have no idea where she was, and she had left him at home without any knowledge about what was going on.

But Derek had been expecting her. He would grow worried when she didn't show up, and he'd likely contact the others, but she had no idea where she was, and unless Pal Joey had left a trail of breadcrumbs, no one else would know where she was either.

Keep your chin up, Maza, you've been in worse situations before, she told herself. Have faith.

Help was coming.

It had to be.

She couldn't let herself think of the alternative.

* * *

Goliath felt like he had glided the entire length and width of Manhattan several times over. He'd searched the east docks thoroughly and now he was searching the apartment where Matt had told him Nita and the other women had once lived with Pal Joey. He'd let himself in through a window and searched the place thoroughly, but it was vacant aside from an intoxicated squatter who he found passed out in one of the rooms. He was just leaving when Lexington spoke up over the communicator.

 _"We found Elisa's car!"_ he said excitedly.

"Where?" Goliath asked back, his heart pounded with hope.

_"Washington Heights, in the alley behind Dracon's safehouse," Lexington replied. "It was covered with a canvas tarp, so we missed it the first time, but we decided to look again when I recognized the shape of it. I checked, and it's definitely her car!"_

"I'm on my way!" Goliath growled, and he glided as swiftly as he could towards Washington Heights.

* * *

Matt was driving back from Elisa's place when he got the radio call from Lex. He had just gone over the security footage from her building. The security there were more than happy to help since Elisa was friendly with them and helped them out when they needed it. There was footage of her taking the elevator down to the garage, but the only other camera was located at the exit and though it had picked up her car leaving the garage, it was not clear whether it was Elisa or someone else behind the wheel based on the grainy footage. Matt was traveling the route she would have taken to the Labyrinth if she had been driving when he got the news about Elisa's car, and he flipped his own vehicle around and sped north towards Washington Heights.

He was supposed to be watching Dracon's house tonight, but he had gone down to the morgue and then the Labyrinth instead, and in the chaos, he had forgotten to get someone else to keep an eye on the place. He mentally kicked himself. If he hadn't slipped up, they may have seen something, and they would have been alerted sooner. A lot could have happened between when Elisa disappeared and now.

"Fuck!" he yelled and struck the steering wheel in frustration.

If anything happened to Elisa because of his mistake, he would never forgive himself.

* * *

Elisa heard a phone ring. Someone picked it up and spoke into it. The conversation was short, and she only heard Joey say, _"good"_ and _"we're on our way"_ before the call ended.  


 _"Alright, Mike's got our passports and tickets. He's waiting for us at JFK,"_ Joey said louder.

 _"Good. Take care of Maza, and then let's get out of here,"_ Julia responded coldly.

"Fuck," Elisa said aloud to herself. The words _"Take care of Maza,"_ could only mean one thing.

She pulled frantically at her cuffs, trying to find a weak spot in them that would possibly allow her to break them, but they were her own cuffs, and she knew they were solid. Still, she tried.

Footsteps moved from the kitchen and down what sounded like a flight of stairs. Then the door opened and Pal Joey came in. His nose hadn't healed properly from when when she had broken it last month, and it now sat crookedly on his face. It gave her a little bit of cold satisfaction to know that he'd remember her anytime he looked in a mirror.

Then she noticed the gun in his hand.

It was her gun.

"Let me go, Joey, and give me Mateo," Elisa growled. "Things will go a lot easier for you if you do."

He laughed almost hysterically.

"Seriously? With my record? I've killed multiple women, sold heroin, and kidnapped a baby and a cop. You think I'm just going to, what, turn myself in and expect a slap on the wrists?"

"Well, it was worth a shot," Elisa muttered sarcastically.

Joey took a few steps toward her.

"You know...the gargoyles consider me one of their own. If you do something to me, they'll be sure to seek vengeance," Elisa said, playing upon his fears. "They don't just live here in New York, either…there are clans all over the world. Perhaps even...Sicily?"

Joey paused at that, and he looked at her uncertainly.

 _"Just kill her already, Joey! Hurry it up!"_ Julia's voice floated down the stairs.

Joey took a few tentative steps forward and aimed the gun at her head.

He had made a critical error, though. He'd gotten too close, and Elisa had long legs. She planted one foot on the ground for leverage and kicked up as hard as she could with the other, right between his legs.

Pal Joey gasped and dropped the gun as he sank to his knees, clutching at his injured groin.

Elisa tried to nudge the gun towards her with her foot, and she managed to bump it with her toe, but Pal Joey recovered faster than she hoped and got to it first.

"For that…you can…burn…Maza," he gasped as he got to his feet. "I was going to kill you quickly...but I think…a slow, painful death…is better for you," he spat and he limped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Burn? Elisa thought, and then she could smell it.

Gasoline.

 _"Why didn't you shoot her?"_ Julia said, her tone exasperated. " _You're such a coward. Do I have to do everything myself?"_

 _"Let her cook. She deserves it,"_ Joey snapped back.

_"Fine."_

She heard footsteps overhead that moved distantly away, and then a door opened and shut.

She was alone.

Trapped in a house with no way out, as the smell of gasoline was slowly overpowered by the scent of wood burning, and smoke began to seep down through the slats in the wood floor above.

* * *

The clan had all gathered on the roof of an apartment building across from the row of brownstone homes, one of which was Dracon's safe house. It was getting late and the street was quiet. Coldstone scanned the house with his robotically enhanced vision.

"There are definitely three heat signatures inside…no, four. The fourth is a small one, I almost missed it," he said.

"The baby?" Goliath asked.

"That would seem likely," Coldstone replied. "Two, an adult and the child, are on the main floor, and two are on a sub level."

"One of those people could be Elisa," Goliath said thoughtfully. "Is there any other access to the basement other than going inside through the house?"

"Not that we could find," Lexington said. "There is a backdoor, but it's on the main level."

"We need to get inside and extract Elisa and the baby without either of them being harmed," Goliath said.

"If we go in through a window on the top floor, we could stealthily—" Brooklyn started.

"Wait," Goliath hissed as he held up his hand to silence the others. Everyone went quiet and preternaturally still at his order.

The front door opened and two figures stepped out. A woman pulling a suitcase and a man carrying a small bundle in his arms exited the house. They were moving quickly, though the man limped slightly.

"Pal Joey," Goliath growled as he recognized the man, and without giving any further orders to the others, he leapt off the side of the building. His wings controlled his fall, but he still landed fast and hard on the ground in front of the fleeing humans, leaving two large spidering cracks in the asphalt.

The woman screamed as Goliath dropped in from the sky right in front of them like a demonic bat out of hell, and then he drew himself up to his full height, his wings stretched out behind him, making him appear even larger and more intimidating as he loomed over the two. His eyes glowed with anger and retribution.

"Oh, God! Not you again!" Pal Joey yelled, and he took a few steps back, pulled out a gun, and aimed it at the large gargoyle.

The rest of the clan landed one by one beside the large gargoyle leader, their eyes glowing menacingly as they surrounded the two Bianchi siblings.

"Give us the child," Goliath growled, unintimidated by Pal Joey's firearm.

A vehicle on the road barreled towards them and came to a screeching halt next to the assembled group. Matt jumped out of the driver's seat and aimed his own gun at Pal Joey.

"Where's my partner, Joey?!" Matt barked.

Julia stood trembling with fear. Although she had seen gargoyles before, she hadn't seen this many gathered together, nor had she seen the large lavender one that fumed angrily over them. He looked like he could rip them limb from limb with little effort, and based on the look on his face, that was exactly what he wanted to do.

Joey changed tactics. There were more of them than there were bullets in his gun, so he pointed it away from Goliath and aimed it instead at the tiny baby in his arms.

"Come any closer and the kid is dead!" he snarled.

"You would slay your own child?" Goliath growled disgusted.

"Let us go, and no harm will come to him," Pal Joey said with a maniacal grin on his face.

Goliath didn't believe that for a moment. If they were willing to kill a defenseless child to prevent their capture, nothing would prevent them from doing so later, but he did not know what else to do. He couldn't risk the child's life in the hope that he was bluffing, and he took a step back.

"Katana, do you remember Madrid?" Brooklyn whispered to his mate.

"Hai," she whispered back, her eyes glinting with amusement and confidence. She slipped 'Egwardo' from her back and wordlessly handed the carrier and its contents over to its brother, Nashville. He tenderly took his sibling from his mother and strapped the carrier on his own back as his mother shifted the balance on her feet imperceptibly.

"LOOK OUT!" Brooklyn shouted, and he fired his blaster at an unknown target on a nearby roof.

Everyone's eyes followed the line of fire, which was exactly what the time-traveling couple had intended. As everyone was momentarily distracted, Katana tucked and rolled, coming to her feet right before Pal Joey. She made a series of quick moves and jabs to strategic places on his arms that caused him to involuntarily release both the gun and the baby. Katana caught Mateo in her arms and gently cradled him, and then with a swift kick to his chest, she sent Joey sprawling several feet down the street onto his back.

Julia backed away slowly, with all her leverage gone, she had no other option but to try and slip away unnoticed, but Katana unsheathed her namesake from her sash and with a swift one-handed motion, held the blade at the woman's throat. A few locks of Julia's hair fluttered to the ground below.

"Don't even think about it," Brooklyn growled as he aimed his blaster right at the woman's head.

Julia sighed and held up her hands. Matt put his own gun back in its holster and walked over to Julia. He put one hand and then the other in cuffs behind her back and then forced her to kneel on the ground.

Goliath stormed over to Pal Joey where he lay sprawled out on the ground. He picked him up by the front of his suit and held him effortlessly several feet off the ground.

"What have you done with Elisa?!" he roared into his face, and Pal Joey flinched and trembled in response to the gargoyle's terrible anger.

While they were all busy freeing Mateo from the Bianchi siblings, they had failed to notice the smoke that had slowly started to curl out of the house's windows. Flickering light caught Angela's attention, and she turned toward the house that was quickly becoming engulfed in flame. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Father! The house!" Angela shouted.

"You're too late," Pal Joey cackled. "She's barbecue now."

Horror and anguish tore through Goliath. His talons tightened on the man he held in his grasp, and for a brief moment he contemplated doing what he had vowed earlier to Talon. He wanted to rip out Joey's entrails and show them to him as he slowly bled out, but if he still had time, if there was even a glimmer of a chance Elisa was still alive inside, he had to try to get to her.

He tossed Pal Joey like a rag doll to his brother Coldstone, who easily caught the human. If his robotic and stone hands grasped him a little too tightly until the mobster cried out in pain, he didn't acknowledge it.

Goliath then ran headlong into the burning building.


	20. Rescue

Elisa furiously kicked the pipe that connected the radiator to the wall, but as the smoke started to get thicker and thicker, she grew more frantic. She missed and hit it with her toes instead of the bottom of her foot. She felt something snap, and she cried out in pain.

Tears streamed from her eyes from helplessness, fear, and pain.

"ELISA!"

She looked up towards the sound of Goliath calling for her, and for a moment she thought she had imagined it. Then he called for her again.

"ELISA!"

Hope and relief flooded her. He'd found her. Somehow, by some miracle, he had found her.

"Goliath! I'm down here!" she called out, but she couldn't get enough breath to shout loudly without inhaling smoke.

"ELI—!" he called out again, but he broke off coughing.

"GOLIATH!" she cried out with everything she had.

She heard rapid footsteps down the stairs, and then Goliath charged through the door. She could see flames behind him and heat and smoke billowed into the room. He shut the door, closing off the majority of the smoke and flames behind it.

"Goliath," Elisa sobbed his name.

"I've got you," he said, his voice slightly hoarse from smoke, and he coughed as he crouched down next to her and snapped the chain between the handcuffs on her wrists.

Just as soon as she was freed she threw her arms around him, and he held her tightly to him for a brief moment as relief washed over them.

"Did you happen to see Julia or Pal Joey? They have Mateo!" Elisa said frantically.

"They are both in Matt's custody, and we have Mateo. He is safe," Goliath reassured her.

"Oh, thank God!" Elisa said as she visibly relaxed. Goliath was here. Mateo was safe. Everything would be ok now.

"How did you find me?" she asked, her tone awestruck.

"We don't have time for explanations. We need to leave. Now," he said gently.

Goliath first went to the door he had come through, but the heat radiating from it made him pause. The fire was rapidly spreading through the house, becoming more intense. He looked around quickly. The only other available egress was the window, a tiny thing that he knew he could never squeeze through.

But Elisa could.

The window had been painted shut and he could not open it, not without breaking it, so he punched his fist through it, ignoring the glass that cut his hands. He ripped the frame out and tossed it aside so that Elisa could get through safely without getting cut.

"Climb through, the rest of the clan is outside," he instructed her.

"No! I won't leave you!" Elisa said stubbornly.

"I'll be able to get out easier if I don't have to worry about protecting you!" Goliath countered. "Elisa, please. Don't waste time arguing with me."

Elisa screwed up her face stubbornly, and then it crumpled, crestfallen. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him as if she were trying to convey everything she felt for him through that one kiss. Then they heard glass breaking and something crashed in another part of the house. Goliath reluctantly set her down on her feet.

Elisa stepped away and grabbed a hold of the windowsill. Goliath kneeled down and gave her a foothold with his joined hands. She looked hesitantly back at him one more time.

"Go. I'll meet you outside," he ordered her.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," he replied sincerely.

Then she reluctantly climbed out the window

Once Elisa was safely out, Goliath went back towards the door he came in through. He reached for the doorknob and pulled his hand back immediately from the heat. He had no other recourse, and he kicked the door down. A wall of heat and smoke hit him, and he coughed and reeled back. He pulled his wings forward to guard against the heat, and he could feel it painfully hot against the sensitive membranes of his wings. He took a deep breath and began to make his way back up the staircase. If he could make it up and through the front part of the house, he would be safely out.

With his wings up to shield his face, he moved carefully up the stairs. The smoke was thick and he could barely breathe. He made it to the top step, he could see the front door, and then the floor above groaned, and he looked up just as it collapsed and crashed into the main floor, burying him in heat and flame.

* * *

"Elisa!" Angela called out elatedly as their friend limped into view.

The clan swarmed her, almost smothering her as they all tried to embrace her at once.

"Where's Goliath?" Elisa asked them. "He forced me out the basement window after he set me free. He was supposed to find another way out!"

They heard crashing within, and they all watched in horror as the front windows blew out and flames billowed out of them. People in the other rowhouses began to spill out onto the street as the fire spread and their residences began to catch on fire.

"Goliath…" Elisa whimpered, her voice filled with pain and disbelief. She moved towards the burning house.

"Elisa, you can't!" Broadway said pulling her back.

"Ye musn't, lass," Hudson said sadly. "Goliath wouldna want ye riskin' yer life for his."

"We—we can't just stand here and do nothing!" Angela said angrily as tears trickled down her face.

They watched helplessly, paralyzed by grief, as flames licked up the sides of the building.

"We need to check the other houses," Brooklyn ordered the others, his voice grief stricken. "Make sure no one is trapped or unable to get out safely."

Despite the pain and fear they all felt, the others split up and searched the other homes, but Brooklyn and his family remained with Elisa, staring in shock as they watched the house burn.

"I'm going back in," Brooklyn said firmly.

"Dad! No!" Nashville cried out and grabbed his father's arm. Brooklyn put his hands on his son's shoulders.

"I'll be alright, kid. Stay with your mother."

"My love, you can't," Katana said firmly. "You will perish if you try."

"He would do it for any of us," Brooklyn said, his voice breaking.

"His time is not today. You know that," Katana pleaded.

"Perhaps we are here to ensure he sees _that_ day, Katana," Brooklyn said quietly.

Elisa stared at the two and the cryptic way they spoke of Goliath and his time of death, and she morbidly thought that it was likely that they knew how each of them shuffled off this mortal coil.

"I have to try," Brooklyn said quietly to his mate as he stroked a lock of her dark hair, and then he ran into the burning home after his leader.

* * *

Brooklyn could hardly see through the smoke and fire. He pulled his wings up to help shield him from the heat, but it was futile. The heat was searing.

"GOLIATH!" he called out and coughed, but there was no reply.

He moved further in, there was burning debris lying everywhere, and it appeared that the second floor had caved into the first. Goliath could be anywhere in there.

"GOLIATH!" he called out again as he moved towards the burning rubble. Then he spotted a lavender wing tip protruding from beneath the smoldering ruins.

"Shit! Hold on, Goliath!" he said as he began frantically digging.

He tossed burning floorboards and two-by-fours off of the gargoyle. They burned his hands, but he kept digging and moving debris. It was getting harder to breathe, and he was afraid he was going to pass out soon.

And then help arrived in the form of a blue angel who appeared by his side and began moving burning debris along with him.

"Katana," Brooklyn breathed his mate's name with relief.

"I have been by your side for thirty-six years, and I will not leave you now," she said as she helped remove the burning materials.

Brooklyn's heart swelled with love and pride for the female who, by the grace of gods or the fates, had chosen him and followed him through countless perils across the ages.

Smoke, ash, and flame swirled all around them as they dug, but with the extra help they made short work of it, and they soon uncovered Goliath. For a moment, they both feared the worst until Brooklyn checked for a pulse.

"Oh, thank the stars, he's alive," he sighed with relief, but he was in rough shape. He was singed and burned in several places, but he had mostly been shielded by his wings which were badly injured. They hung at sickening angles, the membranes had been torn, and they were blackened and burnt.

"Let's get out of here," Brooklyn coughed, and then he got under one of Goliath's arms and Katana got under the other, and between the two of them, they carried Goliath out of the burning house and into the cold clear night air.

* * *

Elisa held Mateo in her arms as she waited for Goliath, Brooklyn, and Katana to emerge from the burning building. Every second that ticked by, her worry and anxiety increased.

Her brother landed on the ground next to her, and suddenly she found herself wrapped up in very large and very furry arms.

"Elisa! Oh, thank God, you're alright!" Talon said as he hugged her.

"Careful! Don't squish the baby!" Elisa exclaimed and Talon immediately released her.

"Nita will be so relieved," he said as he looked upon the baby's face.

"Can you take him to her?" Elisa asked.

"Yeah, of course," Talon held out his arms and Elisa placed Mateo in them. "Wow…he's so tiny," he said awestruck by the baby.

"Before you know it, you'll be holding your own kid," Elisa said gently as she put a hand on his arm.

The look on Talon's face turned very solemn at the thought.

"I heard Lex over the com, and I got here as soon as I could. Don't tell me you were inside there?!" he asked as he pointed to the burning home.

"I was...but Goliath saved me," Elisa said, her voice pained.

"Where is he now?"

"He…he's still inside. Brooklyn and Katana went in after him."

"Oh…shit…" Talon said as he gazed at the burning brownstone home. "Who's Katana?"

"It's a long story…I'll fill you in later," Elisa said tiredly.

They stared at the flames a while longer, every second feeling like hours, when three figures suddenly emerged from the house, smoking and singed.

"Goliath!" Elisa cried out with relief, and she limped towards the three gargoyles.

Goliath hung limply between Brooklyn and Katana, and they gently laid him down on the street.

"Oh, god…is he?" Elisa wailed as she took in the state of him and knelt down beside him.

Brooklyn and Katana were a little cooked themselves and covered in ash. Their hands were raw and blistered from the burning material they had handled.

"He's alive, Elisa, but we've gotta get him back to the castle," Brooklyn said, and then he fell into a fit of coughing.

Elisa wanted to touch her beloved, but she was afraid to in case it caused him pain. His lavender hide was red and raw in several places, and his wings were in tatters, but he was still breathing. He was alive.

"Mom! Dad!" Nashville shouted and he threw himself at them. They caught their son and held him and their unhatched egg in a grateful group hug.

"You're going to be ok, do you hear me?" Elisa said as tears streamed down her face, and she tenderly stroked Goliath's singed hair. "You're going to be ok."

He opened one eye and smiled weakly at her before sinking into unconsciousness again.

Coldstone and Coldfire appeared next to them.

"Brother," Coldstone gasped in shock at the sight of him. Coldfire's face could not register shock, but her metallic hands covered her mouth and provided the same effect.

"We need to get him back to the castle," Brooklyn ordered.

"Tell Owen, Fox, or even fucking Xanatos himself to call Dr. Sato just as soon as you get there!" Elisa ordered vehemently.

Coldstone nodded and carefully gathered up his brother's burned and broken body, and then he shot off like a rocket towards the castle, his mate followed after him.

Elisa watched helplessly, her heart aching, as they disappeared into the distance.

"Is there anything I can do for you, sis?" Talon said gently.

"Go home, give Mateo to Nita, and hug Maggie and tell her you love her," Elisa said.

Talon nodded solemnly.

"I'll check on you and Goliath as soon as I can," he replied. Then he took a few leaping bounds, flapped his wings, and took off into the night, Mateo tucked safely into his arms.

Broadway and Angela were helping an old woman out of one of the other brownstone homes, but they soon joined her, followed by Hudson and Lexington. She could hear the sounds of sirens getting closer. They would be there any minute.

"Goliath's alive," Elisa informed the others. There were happy cheers and a peppering of questions, but Elisa silenced them with her grave look. "He's in rough shape, guys. Coldstone has taken him back to the castle. You should all head there to help however you can, and I'll meet you just as soon as I am able to."

She wanted to go with them, she wanted to be there for Goliath, but she couldn't leave Matt to take care of everything on his own. First and foremost, she was an officer of the law. She had a duty and a responsibility to her city.

The clan left just before the fire department arrived. The firemen quickly unloaded their engine, unrolled hoses and started to douse the burning homes with a torrent of water. Matt had called in for assistance, and a few police cars had also arrived to aid with the Bianchi siblings who were now being placed into separate patrol cars to be taken down to the station.

"Elisa, you're ok!" Matt said as he jogged over and pulled her in for a hug.

"Yeah…I'm ok," Elisa said numbly.

"I didn't see everything that happened, but did everyone make it out?"

Elisa nodded weakly.

"They're on their way back to the castle, but Goliath's hurt really badly, Matt," she said and her voice broke.

"You should be with him," Matt replied tenderly.

"I will. After I help out here."

"There's nothing more to do. I've got this," he said, and then he handed her a set of keys and a gun. "We took these off of Pal Joey. I believe they belong to you."

Elisa recognized the gun that Pal Joey had taken off of her as well as the keys to her car.

"It's parked in the back. You should go."

"Wait, I overheard Joey and Julia say that someone was waiting for them at JFK. Someone named Mike. He was going to help them flee the country to Sicily. He may be an accomplice to some of their other crimes as well."

"Thanks, I'll call it in. Now go!" Matt said.

Elisa gave Matt another quick grateful hug, and then she hobbled to her stolen car, ripped off the canvas cover, hopped in and sped off towards the Eyrie building where her mate hovered between life and death.


	21. Icarus

**January 11, 1997  
Castle Wyvern Infirmary**

The first thing Goliath noticed when he came to was pain.

Excruciating pain.

He wanted to scream and roar, but he couldn't get a sound out. He opened his eyes weakly, and bright lights flooded his vision, but then he saw Elisa's face as she leaned over him. Her sweet, wonderful face. He tried to speak to her, but only a gagging sound came out, and then he realized something was down his throat, blocking his ability to even swallow.

"Shh. It's alright. Dr. Sato had to intubate you," she said softly as if speaking to a frightened animal, and she gently touched his face.

Goliath must have conveyed his confusion through his expression because she explained further.

"He had to put a tube down your throat to your lungs to help you breathe because your throat was burned and swelling from all the hot air and smoke you inhaled."

Goliath nodded weakly, and Elisa stroked his brow tenderly.

"The sun will be up soon. You've made it this far, so I think you're going to be ok. No one else was badly hurt. Pal Joey and Julia are in custody, and Mateo is back with his mother. Everything is ok," she said gently.

Goliath nodded his head. He weakly reached out and cupped her cheek and noticed that his hands were covered in bandages. Elisa put her hand over his and leaned into his touch, and it hurt, but he didn't care right now. Elisa was alive. She was safe. He had saved her.

"I'm glad you're ok, too," she said tenderly. "I love you. Now try to rest."

He nodded and then winced from the searing pain in his body.

"Is there anything you can do for the pain?" Elisa said to someone outside his field of vision.

"I've already given him enough morphine for a horse," Dr. Sato replied. "I don't know if I dare give him more."

But it was unnecessary. The pain and the damage to his body was too much to bear, and Elisa's and Dr. Sato's voices faded into the distance as he lost consciousness again.

* * *

Dawn came, and like the night of the Halloween party, Elisa heaved a heavy sigh of relief that sounded more like a sob as she watched Goliath turn to stone.

"I've done all I can for him, now we just wait and see how he is tonight," Dr. Sato said gently to her.

She accompanied him outside of the infirmary and found the hallway lined with every member of the clan as they kept vigil.

Even the Xanatos family had stood watch, but Elisa noticed they kept a healthy distance from Coldstone and Coldfire who watched the couple warily.

"How is he, detective?" Xanatos asked her with more gentleness than she ever recalled.

"He'll live. We won't know more until tonight," Elisa said wearily.

Dr. Sato had done the best he could to help set the broken bones in his wings and suture the torn membranes. Goliath had explained to her before that their wings were extremely sensitive, and his had been burned and broken. He must have been in considerable pain. They would have to wait and see how much his stone sleep would repair.

"We will keep watch over him while you get some rest," Coldfire offered.

"I think I'm too wired right now," Elisa said, but her limbs were shaking slightly with fatigue.

"You've been through a lot yourself, and you look like you're about to collapse. There's a spare room you can stay in," Fox offered.

Elisa was too tired to keep arguing. She honestly didn't know how she was still standing right now, and she had likely broken two of the toes on her right foot, but she still needed to have it x-rayed. Dr. Sato had offered to take a look at her foot at one point, but she had swatted him away and told him to focus on Goliath.

She said goodbye to Dr. Sato and thanked him profusely for his help. Xanatos graciously escorted him out as she followed Fox to a spare room.

A spare room that was larger than her whole apartment.

"You can leave your clothes outside the door and housekeeping will come and clean them for you while you rest. You will find everything you need in the bathroom and the wardrobe, and if you need anything else, just dial 9 on the phone, and room service will take care of it," Fox instructed her.

"Thank you," Elisa said a little reluctantly. Fox was gracious enough to not acknowledge how difficult it was for her to say that, and she left without another word in reply.

Elisa had never considered the amount of staff Xanatos and Fox must have had on hand, she'd never seen anyone moving about the castle, dusting antiques or mopping floors, but of course they would want them to go unnoticed. She wondered what kind of NDA someone would have to sign just to scrub the toilets.

She used the giant luxurious shower in the adjoined bathroom, but she was too tired to even appreciate it. Afterwards, she slipped into a robe that hung on a hook next to the shower stall, and then self-doctored her broken toes. The two middle ones were turning a sickening shade of purple. They were definitely broken, but there was nothing to be done about them right now. She found some medical tape in a first-aid kit and taped her broken toes together to stabilize them. Then she looked through the large wooden wardrobe. There were mens and womens pajamas of various sizes all in black silk with the Xanatos Corporation logo on them. She sneered at them distastefully. Of course he would be vain enough to brand even his hospitality. She placed her clothes outside the door, locked it—what little good that did—and then opted to sleep naked rather than wear anything with Xanatos's name on it.

She thought sleep would be elusive, but she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Elisa awoke several hours later. Her head still hurt from where Pal Joey had struck her hard enough to knock her out the day before, and her foot was throbbing. She took a few aspirin she found in the bathroom before she retrieved her cleaned and pressed clothing she found neatly folded and bundled with a ribbon outside the door. She put them on, wincing as she shoved her aching foot into a boot, and then made her way quickly to the infirmary.

She had slept most of the day, and now sunset was only an hour away. She spent that time tenderly removing all of the bandages that had been painstakingly applied the night before. She couldn't do anything about the tube, the IV, or the sutures, those would have to come out once he was awake.

Dr. Sato arrived shortly after she did, and they watched nervously together as his stone skin began to crack.

Goliath's awakening was weak, subdued, and nearly soundless due to the fact that he still had a tube down his throat. For a moment, he panicked and clutched at it, but Elisa calmed him while Dr. Sato removed the tube.

Goliath coughed a few times before he managed a weak "Thank you."

Then he peered at the IV line in his arm and pulled it out himself with barely a wince. He looked at his hands as he did, he flexed his fingers and balled them into fists a few times. Aside from a few faint scars on the backs of them, the cuts and burns had healed well. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs fully and without difficulty. He sighed with relief. No permanent damage there.

"How do you feel?" Dr. Sato asked him.

"Significantly better than yesterday," he said. "But…not fully like myself. Not yet, at any rate."

"Your wings were broken in several places," Dr. Sato said as he touched the fingers and struts of his wings, searching for any irregularities in their fusing. "but they appear to have healed properly."

Elisa felt she should have warned Dr. Sato before he jumped into examining Goliath's wings, based on the discomfited look on the gargoyle's face, and he only grew more and more uncomfortable and concerned the longer Dr. Sato manually inspected his wings, but he took it all silently.

Dr. Sato fussed over him for a while, giving him a thorough work up, but Elisa could tell Goliath was becoming irritated. His answers were courteous, but short and clipped.

"Give it a day, but when you're up for it, you should try a short glide, someplace safe, just to see how you do," Dr. Sato instructed.

Goliath nodded absentmindedly as if he were barely registering the doctor's words.

When he finally left, Goliath pulled his wings forward and examined them himself as well as he could. He gingerly touched the membranes. They had been sutured together in several places and fine scars interlaced the once smooth flesh. He examined the arms, they were whole, but the skin was slightly rippled like melted wax in several places.

"Oh…" he huffed quietly, and his countenance fell with sorrow. Honestly, it could have been a lot worse, but he had always prided himself on his wings, and now they were no longer pristine, but heavily scarred.

He articulated his wings a few times, moving them carefully up and down and back and forth; his expression was unreadable.

"Are you alright?" Elisa asked gently as she put her hand on his shoulder.

Goliath peered up at her, his eyes were hollow, and she wondered if he was still in pain.

"Could you…could you touch my wings?" he asked.

Normally that was a request he made in the bedroom, but the way he said it now made her feel trepidation, and she hesitantly reached out and lightly stroked the main arms of his wings.

"Harder…please," Goliath asked. He sounded worried.

She obliged him, and she pressed her fingers harder into his flesh.

"I can barely feel you," he said, his voice a terrified whisper.

"What?" Elisa said shocked.

"When Dr. Sato was examining my wings, I could barely feel him touching me, and I can barely feel you now," he admitted. His voice was tinged with panic.

He was frightened.

If he couldn't feel her touch, how could he feel the wind to glide properly?

"Maybe in another day or two, things will improve," Elisa said optimistically, but she was concerned as well.

There was a tentative knock at the door.

"That's probably the clan, they waited outside all night and day for you," Elisa said gently.

"Don't tell them, please," Goliath demanded, his voice pained.

Elisa nodded hesitantly. They would all find out eventually, one way or another.

"You may enter," Goliath called out, his voice was flat and devoid of the emotion with which he had spoken with Elisa just before.

Angela charged in, and seeing her father whole once more, flung herself into his arms with a quiet sob. A parade of gargoyles followed her, each of them grateful to see their leader had mended, for the most part.

The reunion was a happy one as they each expressed their relief at his survival and healing, but Elisa hung back a little and observed Goliath quietly. Although he greeted them all warmly, there was sorrow and a tightness at the corner of his eyes that broke her heart.

* * *

Against Elisa's better judgement, and the advice of Dr. Sato, Goliath decided to test out his wings that night. It was just a quick glide from the tower down to the courtyard below. It should have been easy for him, but he wobbled like a hatchling, and he fell more than he glided down. Elisa watched as he tried again and again with no visible improvement. On the fifth attempt, a high wind picked up that Goliath was unable to control, and it threw him roughly against the wall of the tower as he descended, and he was forced to climb down the rest of the way. He wasn't hurt beyond a bruise to his shoulder, but he was visibly upset. His eyes were hard with anger and resentment, and his mouth was pressed into a thin line.

"Give it time. You experienced a lot of trauma, and your nerves may just need a chance to…reconnect," Elisa said in an attempt to comfort him.

"What if they don't?" Goliath said quietly seething.

"I understand you're upset and afraid right now, Goliath, but it's only been one night. You need time to rest," Elisa tried in vain to comfort and reassure him.

"Gliding is as natural to gargoyles as breathing. We learn to glide just as soon as we can walk! To not be able to glide again…I won't be half the gargoyle I was before," Goliath lamented.

"Goliath…I know what you're going through, after I was shot I—"

"How could you possibly know what I am going through?" he snapped. "You are not a gargoyle."

Elisa recoiled like she had been slapped.

"Because I know you're going through something really difficult right now, I'm going to forget you said that to me," Elisa said firmly, but she was unable to totally conceal the hurt she felt at his words. "I didn't realize you hold the monopoly on suffering or that my humanity made me incapable of empathy."

Goliath turned away from her ashamed for lashing out at her in his frustration, but he did not apologize to her.

"What do I do, Elisa?" he said quietly pained. Broken. "How can I protect you, how can I protect _anyone_ if I am like this?"

"Give it time, we'll figure it out," Elisa said as she put her hands on him, but he pulled away from her.

"I think…I need to be alone for a while" he said, unable to meet her eyes, and then he turned from her and started to walk away.

"Goliath! Wait!" Elisa called out as she reached out for him, but he didn't stop or even turn back and look at her.

She knew he was grieving and that was why he was angry and lashing out, but she couldn't help but feel responsible for his condition. He had run into a burning building for her. His wings had been damaged saving _her_. As she watched him walk away from her, guilt consumed her as remorseful tears blurred her vision.


	22. Coming to Terms

**January 12, 1997  
5:10 a.m.  
Elisa's Loft**

When Elisa finally returned home, she found two cats in her apartment instead of one.

"Derek? What are you doing here?" Elisa asked confused.

"I wasn't sure when you would be back, so I came by to feed Cagney and make sure he was taken care of for you," her brother replied as he stepped out of her kitchen where he had been filling Cagney's bowl with food.

Her cat butted his head against her ankles, and she leaned down and picked him up. In all the chaos she had forgotten about her poor cat.

"Hey, Cagney," she said guiltily, and she scratched his ears and chin the way he liked. The cat purred and melted into her arms.

"Thanks for looking after him," Elisa said gratefully to her brother.

"How is he?" Derek asked, obviously not referring to her cat.

"He's alive," Elisa replied with a heavy sigh. "He's not fully recovered, though, and we don't know if the nerve damage to his wings is permanent yet."

"Oh…God. I'm sorry, Elisa," Talon said gently. "I may not be his biggest fan, but I never wanted something like this to happen to the guy."

"Why do you dislike him so much?" Elisa asked tiredly as she set Cagney down, and he immediately darted into the kitchen to eat.

"I don't dislike him, I just…don't think we'll ever be close. He's not the kind of guy I'd sit down and have a beer with, ya know?"

"He prefers whiskey or scotch anyway," Elisa said dryly.

"See? I don't like either," Talon joked, and Elisa smiled weakly back at him. "It's not him personally…it's just that...you have the freedom of choice, and I had those freedoms taken away from me. I love Maggie with all my heart, and I'm excited about being a father, but my child will never be normal. I'm happy, but I've had to make the best of my situation, and I'll always wonder 'What if?' The whole world is open to you, Elisa, and I don't understand why you'd willingly choose a life like this."

"Because I love him, Derek. If you're looking for some deep philosophical explanation, there isn't one. I'm with him because I love him, because he's a part of me," Elisa tried to explain. "I know you had a lot taken from you, Derek, but we're all thrown curveballs in life sometimes, and just because things are different from what you planned, it doesn't mean your life can't still be wonderful. My life is not what I envisioned it would be…but in some ways…it's better than I could have dreamed of."

Talon sighed.

"I don't get it, but…you've always had my back even when I didn't deserve it, so, I will have your back on this."

Elisa pulled her brother in and hugged him.

"Thank you," she said and they held each other.

"I'm sorry, about Christmas. I was a real asshole," Talon said contritely.

"Hey, I was kind of a jerk, too, but I appreciate the apology," Elisa said into his furry arms.

"Oh, uh…by the way, you might want to call Mom and Dad. When we were looking for you, I let them know you were missing, and I just remembered that I haven't told them we found you yet…" Talon said sheepishly.

"Ah, damn it! I'm never going to hear the end of this," Elisa sighed.

* * *

When Elisa showed up at work the next night, she was greeted with a chorus of cheers, hugs, and handshakes from her fellow officers. Word had gotten around about her abduction, her narrow escape from a burning building, the rescue of an abducted baby, and the arrest of the Bianchi siblings. There were several messages on her phone from newspapers and TV stations requesting an interview from her, but she ignored them all.

The fanfare was rather unexpected, and topped off with the attention she had received from the Times Square incident, she was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the spotlight on her. Thankfully, the higher ups saw it all as positive publicity.

Captain Chavez debriefed Matt and Elisa in private. Matt had already given her the rundown of what happened the night before and why Elisa was unable to come to work until tonight, but now they had to discuss how to handle the narrative as there were aspects of the case involving the gargoyles that could never be made known to the public.

"We can't deny that the gargoyles were involved. There are too many eyewitnesses, people who were pulled from their burning homes by them," Maria said.

"So, we tell the public that gargoyles saw the fire and jumped in to help, and they just happened to find Elisa held captive in a basement and freed her," Matt offered as a solution.

"Works for me," Elisa nodded.

"It's a little farfetched, but at least it's good PR for both parties," Maria nodded. "And thanks to the gargoyles, there were no casualties from the fire. They deserve a little positive recognition."

"No casualties except for, you know, just the one…" Elisa muttered sarcastically.

"How is Goliath doing?" Maria asked genuinely concerned.

"He's alive," Elisa replied.

"That's not what I asked," Maria said gently.

"He may not be able to glide again," Elisa said numbly. It was surreal to think that she may never join him for a midnight glide again, but she had to focus on everything they still had together. Goliath was alive, that's all that mattered.

Chavez made a thoughtful sound in her throat.

"He ran into a burning building to save you. That took a great deal of courage," she said kindly.

"I would have done the same for him, Captain," Elisa admitted quietly.

Maria stared pensively at her, but she said nothing else about it, instead she congratulated them on their hard work and dismissed them both.

**January 13, 1997**  
 **2:00 a.m.  
** **Castle Wyvern**

Goliath stood atop his tower and stared out at the city below. The normal sounds from The City That Never Sleeps were muffled from this distance, but he could still hear car horns, faint music, and distant sirens. His clan was out in the city tonight, patrolling and protecting the inhabitants of Manhattan while he was stuck at the castle. He hated staying behind while they did all of the work, it made him feel impotent. He had told his clan that he needed to take a few nights off to rest, but at some point, he would have to tell them.

At least no one was around tonight to ask prying questions about how he felt. It was easier for him to be alone right now. The only problem was that the longer he was left alone with his thoughts, the more introspective he became, and the deeper Goliath looked within, the less he liked what he saw.

"Your predictability is comforting, Goliath," a voice said from behind him, startling him out of his thoughts. "You always come up here when you need to brood."

"Xanatos," Goliath grumbled a curt greeting. "You are up late."

"International business calls require a flexible schedule," Xanatos replied, his tone was light and amused. He came to stand next to Goliath and followed his gaze out to the city that stretched out beneath them and around them.

"Of course," Goliath grumbled irritably.

"I will admit, I am surprised to find you alone. I thought nothing would keep the intrepid detective Maza away while you recovered," Xanatos said. His tone was flippant, but there was a more serious question he was concealing with his casual words. What was keeping her from Goliath?

Goliath glanced obliquely at him, but said nothing. He deeply regretted the words he had said to Elisa the night before, and his guilt and shame were a large part of why he had withdrawn from everyone.

"Ah…I see…the damage to your wings makes you feel inadequate, so you pushed Elisa away so she cannot see you at your lowest, is that it? I never took you to be so shallow, Goliath," Xanatos said insightfully.

Goliath growled a low warning rumble at the man.

"I care little about what your opinion of me is, Xanatos," he snapped, and his eyes narrowed at him. He did not know how Xanatos knew about his wings, but it bothered him more that he knew how he had behaved when presented with the real possibility that he could be permanently disabled.

"I am sure we can figure something out to fix your wings, if they are truly beyond what natural healing can do. Cybernetic implants or genetic manipulation perhaps? Honestly, the challenge excites me," Xanatos said as he leaned casually against the tower stones.

"I would rather be crippled than let you experiment upon me, Xanatos," Goliath snarled.

"Pity. That is your choice, of course…but, may I offer you some advice?"

"I doubt I could stop you even if I tried," he grumbled.

Xanatos laughed at that.

"Don't push a good woman away because you think you're doing her a favor. That's not your call," Xanatos said. "And detective Maza is one of the few people in your life who is strong enough to call you out on your own bullshit. You need her. Hell, she's one of the few people brave enough to challenge even myself. I can't help but admire her for that…neither can Fox, for that matter. I can't tell you how often she has suggested we seduce her into our bed—hrrk!"

In a lightning fast move, Goliath had one massive hand around the billionaire's neck. He held him up off the ground as his talons pressed into his throat, and he growled menacingly in his face while his eyes blazed a luminous white.

"If you even _think_ of trying to steal my mate from me, I will gut you like a pig," he snarled.

Xanatos grinned smugly, despite the fact it was difficult for him to breathe at the moment.

"There you are…" he choked out. "Sulking does not become you."

Goliath growled and released his grip on the arrogant human, dropping him roughly back down onto his feet.

"Your _mate_ , is she? I knew you two had an intense connection, but I didn't foresee _that_ ," Xanatos teased as he casually composed himself. "Elisa's tougher than I thought."

"What is your point in antagonizing me, Xanatos?" Goliath growled, refusing to take the bait again. He was annoyed with himself for letting that private information slip.

"Even without the use of your wings, you are a force to be reckoned with, Goliath, and if you cannot see that, then perhaps you aren't the gargoyle you thought you were," he said as he walked nonchalantly back towards the stairwell, completely unfazed by Goliath's recent threat on his life.

Goliath bristled at his words.

"Oh, and, in regards to Elisa…I think a little groveling at her feet might be in order if you ever want to be invited back to her bed."

Goliath growled at the insufferable man's audacity, and he whirled around to face him, but he was already gone.

He sighed wearily and released his anger. His shoulders and wings slumped. Xanatos's words had struck a nerve, and he hated that he could read him so thoroughly.

He had no reason to feel sorry for himself, and worse, he had taken it out on the one who loved him the most.

**January 13, 1997**  
 **5:30 p.m.  
** **Elisa's Loft**

Elisa was slipping into the new red leather moto jacket she had bought to replace her destroyed bomber when she heard the _thump_ of a heavy object landing on her roof. She glanced towards her window to see Goliath and Brooklyn, and she crossed her living room quickly and opened the window.

"Thank you, I will contact you when I need to return to the castle," she heard Goliath say to Brooklyn as she stepped out.

"What's going on?" Elisa asked surprised at seeing both of them.

"Just lending a hand to gimpy here," Brooklyn said hooking a thumb back at Goliath.

The large gargoyle rolled his eyes.

Elisa looked uncertainly between the two of them.

"I wished to see you, and Brooklyn was gracious enough to assist me in getting here," Goliath said humbly.

"You didn't need to come all the way here, I was actually on my way out to see you," Elisa replied.

"Sometimes poor behavior requires a grand gesture as an apology," Goliath said penitently.

Elisa looked up at him and reached for his hand. He didn't pull away from her this time, but brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. She knew it must have taken a lot for Goliath to ask for help, and the gesture melted her heart.

"Anyway…I'll just be on my way now," Brooklyn said noticing the look between them. "This is the first night in thirty years that Katana and I have had babysitters, and we are not about to waste it."

He winked at them…or at least Elisa thought he did. It was hard to tell considering he only had one eye now.

"Thank you, my friend," Goliath said sincerely. "I appreciate your help."

Brooklyn put a hand on Goliath's shoulder and for the first time, Elisa realized that Brooklyn could nearly look his leader directly in the eye now. He'd grown and filled out considerably from the young wiry gargoyle she had once known.

"You kids have fun," he joked, and then he made a two-fingered salute and moved towards the edge of Elisa's building.

"Brooklyn, wait," Elisa said, stopping him in his tracks. He turned back to look at her.

"It's been so chaotic I haven't had a chance yet, but…I wanted to say thank you…for bringing him back to me," Elisa said quietly, her voice almost solemn in its sincerity.

Brooklyn looked at her for a second, then his eyes darted to Goliath, and for a moment, she thought she saw pain and sadness in his eyes so great that it chilled her. He kept so many secrets, and she wondered if it had something to do with the cryptic conversation she had overheard between him and Katana.

And then, just like that, the look was gone, replaced with a bemused grin.

"He's saved my bacon a number of times. It's only fair I return the favor," he quipped, and then he dove off the side of the building.

Alone now, Elisa turned back to Goliath.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him. Her tone was gentle and without reprimand, and he was reminded once more that he did not deserve her.

"Remorseful," he said gently, his expression was regretful and repentant.

It had begun to snow and soft white flakes drifted lazily around them.

"I asked Brooklyn to help me to come to you tonight because I needed to tell you how deeply sorry I am for the things I said…for the cruel way I treated you. I pushed you away when all you tried to do was comfort me. I should have leaned on you, turned to you for strength and solace, but instead I hurt you. I cannot take back the words I said, but I hope you can find it within your heart to forgive me."

Elisa wrapped her arms around his neck, and he sighed with relief at the feeling of her back in his arms.

"It's already forgotten," she said graciously.

Goliath pressed her to him tightly, and he buried his face in her neck as all the tension and remorse he had carried around with him the last two nights melted away.

"I can't help but feel responsible, though, if I hadn't let Joey get the drop on me, I wouldn't have needed to be rescued, and you wouldn't have been caught in that fire," Elisa confessed.

"Hush," Goliath said gently. "It was not your fault, and it was a choice I would gladly make again and again for you if I had to," he said as he held her.

"I'm just so relieved you're alive, Goliath…for a while, I thought I had lost you."

Goliath felt tears on his neck, and he knew she was silently crying. He held her tighter and stroked her hair.

"Death itself could not keep me from you," Goliath vowed, his voice thick with emotion. "Somehow, I would find my way back to you."

Elisa looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes as snowflakes landed gently in her hair. He tenderly brushed them away.

"I love you," she said. "More than anything in the world."

Goliath kissed her softly.

"You are my northern star, my light in the dark," he said against her lips, and then he surprised her as he got down on one knee. He held her hands in his and looked lovingly into her face. "And I would be deeply honored if you would join your life with mine, Elisa Maza."

Elisa pulled back slightly and looked at him confused.

"Wait…are you proposing to me?" she asked stunned.

"I know it would only be symbolic, that it would have no legal standing, but—"

"I thought that because we'd— _you know_ —we were already mates," Elisa interrupted him.

"True," Goliath said affectionately. "But I have had the last few nights to reflect upon a few things, and I realized that if I am to share my life with a human, perhaps I should adopt some of her customs. I also want to make it abundantly clear to you, to your family, and to our clan how I feel about you."

"Goliath…I don't know what to say…" Elisa said floored by his gesture, but there was a hint of a pleased smile at the corner of her lips.

"Just say yes, we'll work out the details later," Goliath replied amused.

"Yes, of course yes," she said and she threw her arms around him and kissed him.

"I am sorry I have nothing to give you, I know it is customary when a human proposes marriage—" Goliath said breaking the kiss.

"I don't need anything. Just you," Elisa said emphatically, and she kissed him again.

They ran out of words to say after that, so they went inside and used their bodies to convey the rest.

Their lovemaking was unhurried. Slow and deliberate. Each touch grounded them and reminded them that they were still alive, that they were still together.

At least, for one more night.

**EPILOGUE**

The case against the Bianchis came together quickly. When Matt had questioned the medical examiner, Dr. Kowalski, he had crumpled like a paper cup. The M.E. had significant gambling debts, and Pal Joey had paid him off to pass Olivia Jefferson's death off as an overdose instead of blunt force trauma to her head. Although her death had been unintentional, the other three women's deaths had been as Joey attempted to cover up his crimes. He beat each woman, injected her with a lethal dose of heroin while she was unconscious, and then dumped her body in the river to erase any trace evidence. The only witness he couldn't get his hands on was Nita who had been saved by the gargoyles and who now had the protection of the Labyrinth, and despite her previous profession, her testimony was the linchpin for the siblings' convictions.

The police had also been able to apprehend Pal Joey's associate, Mike Miggins, at the airport, and once pressed under questioning, he folded like a house of cards and ratted out Pal Joey and his sister, Julia.

Julia went down for kidnapping, arson, and as an accomplice to murder. She would be an old woman before she ever stepped foot out of Bedford Hills.

Pal Joey was convicted of involuntary manslaughter of Olivia Jefferson, but he was sentenced to life in prison for the three other murders he had committed, plus drug trafficking, and the kidnapping and attempted murder of an officer of the law.

Word at Rikers traveled quickly, Pal Joey was back, and it wasn't long before he was cornered late one night in his own cell by a group of men who had bribed a guard.

When they stopped beating and kicking him, he thought perhaps they were done with him. As they stepped back, he took a few broken, labored breaths as he lay still and took stock of himself and the damage to his body, but then one man stepped forward, someone who had not taken part in the beating so far. Pal Joey looked up from the floor where he lay curled into himself to try to protect his internal organs from the worst of the blows, and he recognized the man with his tan skin and dark hair with the distinct white stripe.

"Hey, _Pal_ ," Tony Dracon sneered as he cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, fuck," Pal Joey whimpered.

He was barely alive when he was found the next morning.

* * *

Goliath decided to retire from his role as leader of their clan, and he tried to pass the position on to his second, but every time he brought it up, Brooklyn adamantly refused and insisted he was still capable of leading them. The rest of the clan followed suit, refusing to hear Goliath speak a single word about stepping down. He had expected pity from them all when he finally confessed the true extent of the damage to his wings, but instead he was met with stubborn refusal from all of them to accept his disability as reason to step down from his position.

Outwardly he was annoyed, but inwardly, he was deeply grateful and loved them all the more for their insolence.

One night, not long after his brush with death in the fire, Goliath awoke with an intense prickling sensation in his wings. It was driving him mad, and he mentioned it to Elisa when she came to the castle that night to visit.

Acting on a hunch, she lightly stroked his wings, and he practically jumped out of his skin in surprise that he could feel her touch, and then caught up in their joy and excitement, they made love right on the floor of the castle library. Neither of them had been aware that Hudson had been quietly reading in a comfortable chair on the upper level with Bronx curled up at his feet, and he and the beast beat a hasty retreat when they realized what was going on below.

For several weeks afterwards, Elisa could not figure out why Hudson would sometimes blush and look away when she spoke to him.

Goliath's rehabilitation was slow, he had to work hard to regain the strength he had lost in his wings, but eventually he could glide again with the grace and ease he had once before with Elisa in his arms.


End file.
